English Language and Literature : 2012 [Delhi] Set I

Read the passage given below and complete the sentences that follow by choosing the most appropriate options:                           1x5=5

My peers always thought of me as a dull boy when I was in School and my teachers never thought differently. That was because I was Indeed a dull boy. I was a backbencher, after all.

I could never have been a frontbencher for obvious reasons. I had a persistent paranoia of being under the watchful eye of the teacher. It used to make me self-conscious and I hated being under supervision right from childhood. I wanted to be my own boss.

I have no regrets about having been a backbencher. It is true that I used to occupy one of the seats in the last row of the class but that does not mean that I did not listen to the teacher or that I cheated on homework.

In England, there used to be a dunce's corner for students who were slow learners. A student in the dunce's corner was supposed to be the rough equivalent of a backbencher in our country.

Some eminent personalities from whom teachers didn't have very high expectations early on in life included the inventor, Thomas Alva Edison, as well as entrepreneurs, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. I feel honored to be in their company!

There are others, of course, who prefer to make funny sounds, complete pending homework and throw chalks at other students - all sitting on those 'privileged seats'.

Believe me, it feels great! Because you not only learn whatever is taught but also get a back-eye-view of everything that happens in the class.

 

(a) The paragraph describes ___________.

(i) The simple joys of the frontbenchers

(ii) The simple joys of the backbenchers

(iii)The regrets of the author

(iv)The achievements of the author

 

(b) The backbencher is considered a _

(i)  popular student

(ii) bright student

(iii) dull student

(iv) teacher's favourite

 

(c) The backbencher feels great because he/she ____________.

(i)  Can complete pending homework

(ii) Can make funny sounds

(iii) Can have a back-eye-view of everything that happens in the class

(iv)Gets opportunity to eat snacks in between

 

(d) The expression, 'privileged seats' refers to _

(i)  Seats reserved for teachers' favorite students

(ii) The last seats meant for the dull students

(iii) Seats for eminent persons like Bill Gates and Edison

(iv)Front benchers

(e) The' author preferred to sit in the last row because _

(i) he was afraid of his teachers

(ii) he always cheated on his homework

(iii) he wanted to listen carefully what was being taught in the class

(iv) he hated to be under the watchful eye of the teacher

Read the poem given below and choose the most appropriate answer to each question out of the options that follow:                                    1x5=5

 

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; 

Where words come out from the depth .of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action -

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

                                               (Rabindranath Tagore)

a. The poem talks about a place where _____.

(i) there is peace and harmony

(ii) people'live in fear

(iii) people fight with one another

(iv) there is no freedom

 b. 'Knowledge is free' means ________.

 (i) education for all
 (ii) education free of cost
(iii) education for the rich
 (iv) education for the poor

c. The phrase, 'narrow domestic walls' refers to ___________.

(i) houses with narrow walls
(ii) divisions of the world

(iii) country divided on the lines of caste and religion

(iv) thin walls of a house

d. The people of this country should be guided by ___________.
(i)  logic
(ii) traditions
(iii) habits
(iv) customs

e. Who is being addressed in this poem?
(i) People
(ii) Poet
(iii) God
(iv) Country

Read the passage given below :           1x5=5

One day a rich father took his young son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be .They spent a day and a night in the farm of a poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" ''Very good, Dad!"."Did you see how poor people can be? The father asked. "Yeah!" "And what did you learn?"

     The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon."

      When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless.

His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are!" Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humour and a positive attitude towards life, you've got everything!

    You can't buy any of these things. You can have all the material possessions you can imagine, but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing!

 

Complete the following sentences based on your reading of the passage above in your own words.

(a) In the eyes of the boy __________were poor.

(b) The author's purpose in the passage is to show that __________.

(c) The father took his son on a trip to the country because ___________.

(d) The boy's father was speechless because __________.

(e) The word in the passage which means the same as 'a short journey' is __________.

You are Pranav / Priya, a resident of B-3/232, Sector 13, Dwarka, N.Delhi, living in a rented house. The rainy season has set in. The house needs urgent repairs. Write a letter, in about 100 words, to your landlord living at 450, Sector 20, Chandigarh, asking him to undertake the repair work immediately.

 

       ( Hints : leaking roof, loose electrical fittings, paint and polish)                

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                                       OR

 

You are Diwaker / Devika living at A-10, Green Park, N. Delhi. Write a letter to a friend in about 100 words, telling him/her about the interesting things which you noticed at the wedding reception of the sister of one of your common friends at Chandigarh.

There is a massive influx of people into the metropolitan cities from the villages and the small towns of the country. It is giving rise to slums and also causing pressure on civic amenities. Write an article in about 120 words expressing your opinion on why this influx is taking place and how this problem can be solved. You are Shreyas / Shruti. You can use the hints given below. (Hints: coming for jobs- ·live in slums, pressure on transport, accommodation, schools, etc. - needs planning - job opportunities in villages and towns to be created)  

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                                          OR

 

You are Rohan / Ritu, a student of Class Xth of Sarvodya Senior Secondary School, Janakpuri, Delhi. Your school is holding an inter-house declamation contest on the topic, 'Books Are Our Best Friends’. Write your speech in about 120 words. You can use the hints given below.

 

(Hints: books enlighten, cheer, encourage, break Loneliness, and never leave in need, a welcome escape from boredom)

You are Pawan / Preeti, a young reporter of The Daily Times, N. Delhi. Recently you witnessed an explosion in a bus killing 2 and injuring 25. Being an eye witness, write a report, in about 80 words, for your newspaper giving heading, date, bus number, persons killed, injured and saved.                     

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OR

Develop the following outline into a story in about 80 words

 

A young boy…………….. travelling by a train ……………..has a briefcase containing a lot of money ……………..befriends a fellow traveler  ……………..train stops……………..boy goes out to buy snacks ……………..returns……………..briefcase gone.

Complete the following passage by choosing the appropriate words from the given options.
The tiny sand fly (a)_______ the deadly Kala Azar, a parasitic disease. This disease (b)______ hundreds every year and can also (c)_______ death. It (d)_______ now to be made part of school textbooks in Bihar (e)_______awareness about the fly. The Bihar Government (f) ______ to introduce a new chapter on it from next year.
a. (i) causes  (ii) caused   (iii) will cause  (iv) causing
b. (i) affect    (ii) affected (iii) affects (iv) is affected
c. (i) will cause (ii) cause  (iii) has caused (iv) to cause
d. (i) was      (ii) had         (iii) had            (iv) is
e. (i) can create (ii) to create (iii) has created  (iv) created
f. (i) has decided  (ii) will decide  (iii) decided  (iv) had decided

 

Given below are the notes taken by a reporter regarding the Health Check-up, Camp organized at DAV School premises recently. Study the given notes and complete the following paragraph by       filling in the spaces from the given options.

                                                              1x3=3

 

• general physicians and specialists from Escorts Hospital carried out health check-up for general health, E.N.T., blood pressure , blood sugar                                                   
• organized an interactive session on heart problems for the senior citizens
• lecture on 'Yoga tips for good health' - a huge success.

          

 

Health check-up for general health, E.N.T., blood sugar and blood pressure (a)________ by general physicians and specialists from Escorts Hospital. An interactive session on heart problems (b)_______ for senior citizens. Lecture on Yoga tips for good health(c)_______ a huge success.

 

(a) (i)  is  carried out

 (ii) has carried out

 (iii) was carried out

 (iv) has been carried out

 

(b)  (i) has organisd

 (ii) organized

 (iii) was being organized

 (iv) was organized

 

(c)  (i) was

 (ii) has been

 (iii) can

 (iv) has

The following passage has not, been edited. There is an error in each line against which a blank is given. Write the incorrect word and the correction in your answer sheet against the correct blank number as given in the example. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied.

1/2x6=3

Master Chandgi Ram's daughter, Deepika Kaliraman have

e.g. have has

set up the wrestling centre  

(a) _______ _______

of girls in village Poochanpur, Dwarka.

 

(b) _______ _______

Deepika is an eldest daughter of  

(c) _______ _______

 a wrestling guru, Chandgi Ram.         

(d) ­_______ _______

 After the guru passed on a year ago,   

(e) _______ _______

 Deepika took it upon himself to carry on

(f) _______ _______

 the legacy of her father.

Look at the words and phrases given below. Rearrange them to form meaningful sentences as shown in the example.         1x3=3

 For example:

Are / Indian temples / store-house / a / Indian art / of

Indian temples are a store-house of Indian art

(a) the temple architecture / form an / sculpture and painting / of / essential part

(b) is / situated in / konark temple / north –eastern part of Puri /the

(c) of a chariot / the temple / in the form / is