PRACTICE PAPER – (1)
KUMARBHARATI ENGLISH-First Language (HL)
Time – 3 Hours Marks – 100
SECTION I : LANGUAGE STUDY
Q.1 (A1) Do as directed. (08)
(1) Pick out the infinitives from the following sentence.
He knew who were the right people to listen to and who to avoid.
(2) Write two compound words.
(3) Find out 2 hidden words of minimum 4 letters from –
‘tracheotomy’
(4) Punctuate the following sentence.
i made some money yesterday he explained
(5) Identify the type of sentence.
Why don’t you follow my example and just eat one thing ?
(6) Use the following phrase in your own sentence.
To look into
(7) Spot the error in the following sentence and rewrite it.
There are no greater violence than to deny the dreams of our children.
(8) Arrange the following words in alphabetical order.
dream, rainbow, soldier, credit
(A2) Do as directed. (08)
(1) Complete the following word-chain of adjectives.
Technical, I___________, ___________, __________, __________ .
(2) Change the following sentence in Indirect narration.
Robert said to Joan, “Have you ever seen English soldiers fighting ?’’
(3) Use appropriate modal auxiliary.
(i) It is advisable for you to keep your surroundings clean.
(ii) It is necessary for all of us to avoid unhygienic food.
(4) Make a word register of 8 words related to ‘Technology’.
(B) Do as directed. (04)
(1) Use both of the following words in a meaningful sentence.
inspiration, success
(2) Change the degree.
Daulatabad is one of the best preserved forts in Maharashtra.
SECTION II : TEXTUAL PASSAGES
(Reading Skill, Vocabulary and Grammar)
Q.2 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities. (10)
(A1) State whether the following statements are true or false.
(a) Anil writes for magazines for a living -
(b) Anil kept a small bundle of notes in a cupboard -
(c) The narrator used to cheat Anil on the shopping -
(d) After stealing the money the narrator quickly crawled out of the room -
Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one week, lend the next. He kept worrying about his next cheque, but as soon as it arrived he would go out and celebrate. It seems he wrote for magazines — a queer way to make a living!
One evening he came home with a small bundle of notes, saying he had just sold a book to a publisher. At night, I saw him tuck the money under the mattress.
I had been working for Anil for almost a month and, apart from cheating on the shopping, had not done anything in my line of work. I had every opportunity for doing so. Anil had given me a key to the door, and I could come and go as I pleased. He was the most trusting person I had ever met.
And that is why it was so difficult to rob him. It’s easy to rob a greedy man, because he can afford to be robbed; but it’s difficult to rob a careless man — sometimes he doesn’t even notice he’s been robbed and that takes all the pleasure out of the work.
Well, it’s time I did some real work, I told myself; I’m out of practice. And if I don’t take the money, he’ll only waste it on his friends. After all, he doesn’t even pay me.
Anil was asleep. A beam of moonlight stepped over the balcony and fell on the bed. I sat up on the floor, considering the situation. If I took the money, I could catch the 10.30 Express to Lucknow. Slipping out of the blanket, I crept up to the bed. Anil was sleeping peacefully. His face was clear and unlined; even I had more marks on my face, though mine were mostly scars.
My hand slid under the mattress, searching for the notes. When I found them, I drew them out without a sound. Anil sighed in his sleep and turned on his side, towards me. I was startled and quickly crawled out of the room.
(A2) Complete the following sentences with the help of the given passage.
(1) The narrator was thinking to catch ...................................................
(2) When Anil was sleeping peacefully, his face was ...................................................
(3) The narrator slid his hands under the mattress to ...................................................
(4) The narrator thought that If he didn’t take money, Anil would only waste ...................................................
(A3) Cross out the odd man.
(i) blanket, magazine, maintain, mattress.
(ii) rob, take, time, search.
(iii) queer, small, greedy, pleasure
(iv) quickly, mostly, money, peacefully.
(A4) Rewrite the following sentences by choosing correct tail tag given in the brackets.
(does he ?, didn’t he ?, isn’t it?, wasn’t he?, doesn’t he?, is it?)
(i) Anil was sleeping peacefully.
(ii) He doesn’t even notice he’s been robbed.
(iii) Anil kept worrying about his next cheque.
(iv) It’s difficult to rob a careless man.
(A5) What will you do if you are robbed by someone you know very well?
(B1) Name the following.
(i) According to the writer the great warrior who conquered the world -
(ii) The State in which Mary Kom was born -
(iii) The kind of farming in which Mary’s parents were working as tenant farmers -
(iii) The sportsman who inspired many youngsters in Manipur
There had to be one successful story if Indians were to survive in sports and we have that story now. Enough has been said about this great warrior who conquered the world. This warrior is none other than Mary Mangte Kom- the Komqueror and the Komrade. She is famed as a five times World Boxing Champion and the only boxer to win a medal in every one of the six world championships. In the 2012 Olympics, she became the first Indian woman boxer to qualify and win a bronze medal in the 51 Kg flyweight category of Boxing.
Kom was born in Kangthei village, Moirang Lamkhai in Churachandpur district of rural Manipur in eastern India. She came from a poor family. Her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom were tenant farmers who worked in jhum fields. Kom grew up in humble surroundings, helping her parents with farm related chores, going to school and learning athletics initially and later boxing simultaneously. Her father was a keen wrestler in his younger age.
She had an eager interest in athletics since childhood and the success of Dingko Singh a fellow Manipuri returned from the 1998 Bangkok Asian games with a gold medal, Kom recollects had inspired many youngsters in Manipur to try boxing and she too thought of giving it a try.
Mary Kom’s career started in 2000 after her victory in the Manipur State women’s boxing championship and the regional championship in West Bengal. In 2001, she started competing at international level. She was only 18 years old when she made her international debut at the first AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship in United States, winning a silver medal in the 48 kg weight category. Her greatness is reinforced by the way she apologized to the whole nation for not being able to win the Gold. She is a legend for sure and
an idol for all the sports women to look up to.
(B3) Find out antonyms for the following from the passage.
(a) failure × (b) defeat × (c) weakened × (d) wealthy ×
(B4) (i) She is a legend for sure and an idol for all sports women to look up to. (Use ‘Not only........... but also’)
(ii) In the 2012 Olympics, Mary became the first Indian woman boxer to qualify and win a bronze medal. (Use ‘As well as’)
(B5) What qualities do you think are required to become a good sportsman
SECTION III : POETRY
Q.3(A) Read the following poem and do the activities. (05)
(A1) Complete the following sentences with the help of the poem.
(a) The poet wishes he could .........................................
(b) Animals do not complain about .........................................
(c) Animals do not merely discuss .........................................
(d) Animals are not crazy about .........................................
I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contained
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things.
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?
- Walt Whitman
(A2) The qualities of animals that highlighted by the poet in the poem are
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
(A3) Name and explain the figures of speech.
“I stand and look at them long and long.’’
Q.3 (B) Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in paragraph format. (10)
A Thing of Beauty is a Joy For Ever
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever :
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching : yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves a way the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep ; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in ; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season ; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms :
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read :
An endless fountain of immortal drink
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.
Nor do we merely feel these essences
For one short hour ; no, even as the trees
That whisper round a temple become soon
Dear as the temple’s self, so does the moon,
The passion poesy, glories infinite,
Haunt us till they become a cheering light
Unto our souls, and bound to us so fast,
That, whether there be shine, or gloom o’ercast
They always must be with us, or we die.
- John Keats
You can use the following points while appreciating the given poem.
• Title
• Poet
• Theme/Central Idea (At least 2 to 3 lines)
• Rhyme Scheme
• Figures of speech
• Special Features
(Type of the poem, imagery, implied meaning if any etc.)
(At least 3 to 4 lines)
• Favourite line/lines
• Why I like/don’t like the poem
SECTION IV : NON-TEXTUAL PASSAGES
(Reading Skill, Vocabulary, Grammar and Summary)
Q.4 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities. (10)
(A1) Choose the correct option and rewrite the sentences.
(a) What did the people not understand in the early days of farming ?
(i) how farming is done
(ii) how plants obtained essential nutrients
(iii) how grass, shrubs and bushes grow.
Ans. how plants obtained essential nutrients.
(b) What is manure ?
(i) a substance derived from animals and plants.
(ii) the soil particles to form soil crumbs.
(iii) a combination of nitrogen, phosphate and potash.
Ans. a substance derived from animals and plants.
(c) When should fertilizers be applied ?
(i) When the plants get dried.
(ii) When the plants need a particular nutrient most.
(iii) In the early days of farming.
Ans. When the plants need a particular nutrient most.
(d) What determines the profitability of the fertilizers ?
(i) grass, bushes and shrubs
(ii) nitrogen, phosphate and potash.
(iii) The time and method of application.
Ans. The time and method of application.
[1/2 Mark for each correct option]
In the early days of farming, people did not understand how plants obtained essential nutrients. It so happened that wood ash, fish remains and slaughterhouse waste were thrown on vacant land just to get rid of them. Then, people started to notice that the grass, bushes and shrubs on this vacant land began to grow very well. They reasoned that if their farmland were similarly treated, the growth of their crops would also improve. People gradually began to realize that the nutrients required by plants came from the soil and that the amount of nutrients could be increased by the application of such organic remains to the soil. Thus started the manuring process in farming.
The practice of manuring has been practised as early since the seventeenth century. However, the importance of manuring was not properly understood until scientists began to study the nutritional needs of plants and gave birth to fertilizers. Thus, gradually, the use of fertilizers became accepted by farmers.
There are many types of manure and fertilizer currently being used. Manure is a substance derived from animals and plants. The most important advantage of using manure is the fact that they not only supply a wide range of plant nutrients, but also improve the structure of the soil. It cements together the soil particles to form soil crumbs. The crumb structure is a desirable condition of cultivated soil. The addition of manure to soil will increase the inorganic and humus content which helps to prevent soil erosion and loss of plant nutrients when it rains. The common manure used in farming consists of farmyard manure, compost, blood meal, bone meal and fish meal.
Unlike manure, fertilizers are inorganic substances which do not improve the structure of the soil. They only supply extra amounts of nutrients to the growing plants when applied to the soil. The commercial fertilizers commonly used today can be classified into three major categories; namely, nitrogen (N), phosphate and potash fertilizers.
Besides knowing the type of fertilizer to use, a farmer also needs to know when to apply the fertilizer and how to apply it. The fertilizer should be applied at the time when the plants need a particular nutrient most. The time and method of application will determine how profitably the fertilizers have been used in farming. Fertilizers which have not been properly applied cannot be absorbed in large quantities by plant roots. These fertilizers may be washed away by rain or they may kill the plants. This would mean a definite financial loss for the farmer.
(A2) How did the process of adding manure to the soil begin?
(A3) Find out similar words from the passage.
(i) necessary (ii) comprise (iii) step by step (iv) ascertain
(A4) (i) They supply extra amount of nutrients to the growing plants. (Begin the sentence with ‘Extra amount of ’.)
(ii) It cements together the soil particles to form soil crumbs.
(Choose the correct option to name the tense.)
(i) Simple present tense
(ii) Simple past tense
(iii) Simple future tense
(A5) ‘Agriculture plays important role in Indian economy’. Explain.
Q.4 (B) Read the passage given in Q. 4 (A) and write the summary of it. Suggest a suitable title to your summary. (05)
SECTION V : WRITING SKILLS
Q.5 (A) Letter Writing : Attempt any one of the following activities. (05)
Read the following snippet and write a letter based on it.
Unhealthy Choice ?
On its employee resources site, an organisation says that fast food is high in calories, fat, sugar, nitrates and salt . It may put people at risk of becoming obese. Pre-packaged snack foods, canned foods, bakery items, frozen dinners, canned and packaged meats should be avoided. Home-made food is always a better option to keep oneself fit and healthy.
A1 Informal Letter :
You are Karan/Kiran Shirke, staying at B/12, Sai Sadan, Sita Bardi, M.G.Road, Nagpur. Your close friend Akshay/Akshaya is in the habit of eating junk food. Write a letter to him/her with the help of the points given in the above snippet. You may add your own points to support your subject.
(OR)
A2 Formal Letter :
You are Karan/Kiran Shirke, staying at B/12, Sai Nagar, Sita Bardi, Nagpur. Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper requesting him/her to spread awareness among the readers about the side effects of junk food.
Q.5 (B) Dialogue Writing or Interview Questions : Attempt any one of the following activities. (05)
(B1) Dialogue writing :
Your friend Aditya/Aditi has passed the examination of Homi Bhabha – Bal Vaidnyanik recently. Write a dialogue between you and your friend about his /her achievement, preparation, the way of his/ her studies etc.
(OR)
(B2) Interview Questions :
A well known Child activist and Nobel Prize winner Mr. Kailash Satyarthi is the Chief guest of your annual function. You Aditya/Adity have been assigned to take his interview. Prepare a set of 8 questions to take his interview. You may ask questions on ...His childhood, his education, beginning of the career, obstacles in the career, role model, his feelings being a Nobel Prize winner and his future plans, message for the youngsters.
Q.6 (A) Information Transfer : Attempt any one of the following activities. (05)
(A1) Non-Verbal to Verbal :
Observe the following web-chart carefully and write two short paragraphs of
‘Advantages of watching Television’ with the help of the points given.
(OR)
(A2) Verbal to Non-verbal :
Read the following paragraph about ‘The causes of pollution and the possible solutions’ and tabulate the same information.
Pollution is the contamination into the natural environment that causes adverse change. Pollution levels are increasing day by day. There are various reasons for it. Air pollution is caused chiefly by industrial pollutants and by increased levels of RSPM due to higher flow of vehicular traffic. Water pollution is caused to a large extent by industrial effluents and the immersion of POP idols. Sound pollution levels have increased due to blaring loudspeakers during festival time and increased volume of traffic.
In order to solve the problems of air pollution, the chief method seems to be tree plantation. More and more citizens and NGO’s should take up green causes with civic authorities. We need to protect our forest and conserve our mangroves. In order to solve the problem of water pollution, we need to develop effective waste management techniques. Also eco-friendly idols should be used during festival time. An awareness by the general populace is very necessary to solve the problem of sound pollution. Strict enforcement of decibel levels during occasions and festival time by the police is a must.
Use the following table for your answer.
Q.6 (B)Views/Counterviews (or) Drafting a Speech : (05)
Attempt any one of the following activities.
(B1) Views/Counterviews :
Present the Counterviews on ‘‘Sports should be optional in schools.’’ You can use the following points from the view section.
VIEWS
• More failures at S.S.C. occur in subjects like Maths and English.
• Difficult syllabus.
• Very little time for activities other than study.
• This causes stress and tension.
• Students tend to give up schooling altogether.
• Students have little sports background in schools.
(OR)
(B2) Drafting a Speech :
You are going to speak in your school assembly convincing junior students that the secret of true happiness lies in Giving and Sharing more than in Receiving and Taking.
You can use the following points - a hearty satisfaction, pleasure of sharing,
peace of mind, etc. You can add your own points.
SECTION VI : CREATIVE WRITING
Q.7 Expand the theme :
(A) Expansion or News Report : Attempt any one of the following activities.
(A1) Expansion based on Proverb/Maxim/Quotation/Slogan : (05)
Expand any one of the following ideas into two paragraphs.
(a) Perseverance is the key of Success.
(OR)
(A2) News Report based on the given headline :
Prepare a newspaper report based on the following headline.
Harmanpreet 171* hauls India to the Final in T - 20 Womens’ World Cup.
(B) Story or Narrating an experience : Attempt any one of the following activities.
(B1) Writing a story : (05)
Develop a story in about 80 - 100 words with the help of the following ending.
Suggest a suitable title for it.
............................................... Thus I was felicitated by the headmaster of our school in the school assembly. It was really a memorable day for me.
(OR)
(B2) Narrating an experience :
Narrate an experience in about 80 - 100 words with the help of the following beginning. Suggest a suitable title for it.
It was Saturday and my parents were not at home. Being alone I could not sleep peacefully ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
