English Core Code No. 301 Class XI Section A 26 Marks
English Core Code No. 301 Class XI Section A 26 Marks
301
CLASS – XI
Section A 26 Marks
Reading Skills
I Reading Comprehension through Unseen Passage (10+8=18 Marks)
1. One unseen passage to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, inference and vocabulary.
The passage may be factual, descriptive or literary.
2. One unseen case-based factual passage with verbal/visual inputs like statistical data, charts etc.to
assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, inference and evaluation.
Note: The combined word limit for both the passages will be 600-750.
Multiple Choice Questions / Objective Type Questions will be asked.
3. Note Making and Summarization based on a passage of approximately 200-250 words.
i. Note Making: 5 Marks
○ Title: 1
○ Numbering and indenting: 1
○ Key/glossary: 1
○ Notes: 2
ii. Summary (up to 50 words): 3 Marks
○ Content: 2
○ Expression: 1
Section B – 23 Marks
Grammar and Creative Writing Skills
II Grammar 7 Marks
4. Questions on Gap filling (Tenses, Clauses)
5. Questions on re-ordering/transformation of sentences
(Total seven questions to be done out of the eight given).
III Creative Writing Skills 16 Marks
6. Short writing task – Classified Advertisements, up to 50 words. One out of the two given questions
to be answered (3 Marks: Format: 1 / Content: 1 / Expression: 1)
7. Short writing task –Poster up to 50 words. One out of the two given questions to be answered. (3
marks: Format: 1 / Content: 1 / Expression: 1)
8. Long Writing task: Speech in 120-150 words based on verbal / visual cues related to contemporary
/ age-appropriate topic. One out of the two given questions to be answered. (5 Marks: Format: 1 /
Content: 2 / Expression: 2)
9. Long Writing Task: Debate based on visual/verbal inputs in 120-150 words, thematically related
to contemporary, topical issues. One out of the two given questions to be answered. (5 Marks:
Format: 1 / Content: 2 / Expression: 2)
Section C – 31 Marks
Literature Text Book and Supplementary Reading Text
This section will have variety of assessment items including Multiple Choice Questions, Objective
Type Questions, Short Answer Type Questions and Long Answer Type Questions to assess
comprehension, interpretation, analysis, evaluation and extrapolation beyond the text.
5
10. One Poetry extract out of two, from the book Hornbill, to assess comprehension, interpretation,
analysis, inference and appreciation. (3x1=3 Marks)
11. One Prose extract out of two, from the book Hornbill, to assess comprehension, interpretation,
analysis, evaluation and appreciation. (3x1=3 Marks)
12. One prose extract out of two, from the book Snapshots, to assess comprehension, interpretation,
analysis, inference and appreciation. (4x1=4 Marks)
13. Two Short answer type questions (one from Prose and one from Poetry, from the book Hornbill),
outof four, to be answered in 40-50 words. Questions should elicit inferential responses through
critical thinking. (3x2=6 Marks)
14. One Short answer type question, from the book Snapshots, to be answered in 40- 50 words.
Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. One out of two questions to
be done. (3x1=3 Marks)
15. One Long answer type question, from Prose/Poetry of Hornbill, to be answered in 120 150 words.
Questions can be based on incident / theme / passage / extract / event, as reference points to assess
extrapolation beyond and across the text. The question will elicit analytical and evaluative response
from the student. Any one out of two questions to be done. (1x6=6 Marks)
16. One Long answer type question, based on the chapters from the book Snapshots, to be answered
in 120-150 words, to assess global comprehension and extrapolation beyond the text. Questions to
provide analytical and evaluative responses, using incidents, events, themes, as reference points.
Any one out of two questions to be done. (1x6=6 Marks)
Prescribed Books
1. Hornbill: English Reader published by National Council of Education Research and Training, New
Delhi
• The Portrait of a Lady (Prose)
• A Photograph (Poem)
• “We’re Not Afraid to Die… if We Can Be Together
• Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues
• The Laburnum Top (Poem)
• The Voice of the Rain (Poem)
• Childhood (Poem)
• The Adventure
• Silk Road (Prose)
• Father to Son
2. Snapshots: Supplementary Reader published by National Council of Education Research and
Training, New Delhi
• The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse (Prose)
• The Address (Prose)
• Mother’s Day (Play)
• Birth (Prose)
• The Tale of Melon City
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
Assessment of Listening Skills - 05 marks.
Assessment of Speaking Skills - 05 Marks
Project Work - 10 Marks
6
Video games show a great story with graphics and animation. It enables a person to interact as a
character in the story. It comes in different genres. There are books and movies which are not suitable
for young children and teenagers. We can see a similar situation in video games. Such games result in
a child developing negative traits. However, this is not seen in all people. No matter if a person is an
adult or not, if a person is being influenced by it negatively, then a person is not suitable enough to
play a game of that genre.
Therefore, I would like to conclude by saying that video games should not be banned. Parents or
guardians need to monitor what their child is playing, like how they monitor what their child is
watching.
CLASS – XI
SUBJECT – ENGLISH CORE (301)
HORNBILL (PROSE)
SUMMARY
The lesson gives us a detailed picture of the relationship between the author and his grandmother.
True to its name, the story draws a character sketch of the grandmother who stays the same over the
years. Her thoughts, way of life and activities do not seem to change.
1.Then she would fetch my wooden slate which she had already washed and plastered with yellow chalk,
a tiny earthen ink-pot and a red pen, tie them all in a bundle and hand it to me. After a breakfast of a
thick, stale chapatti with a little butter and sugar spread on it, we went to school. She carried several
stale chapattis with her for the village dogs. My grandmother always went to school with me because
the e school was attached to the temple.
ii. Who used to accompany the author to school in his first days of student life?
Ans-His grandmother.
iii. Why did the grandmother use to carry stale chapattis to school?
Ans- To feed the village dogs.
64
2.When my parents were comfortably settled in the city, they sent for us. That was a turning-point in
our friendship. Although we shared the same room, my grandmother no longer came to school with me.
I used to go to an English school in a motor bus. There were no dogs in the streets and she took to feeding
sparrows in the courtyard of our city house.
3.I would tell her English words and little things of western science and learning, the law of gravity,
Archimedes’ Principle, the world being round, etc. This made her unhappy. She could not help me with
my lessons. She did not believe in the things they taught at the English school and was distressed that
there was no teaching about God and the scriptures. One day I announced that we were being given
music lessons. She was very disturbed. To her music had lewd associations. It was the monopoly of
harlots and beggars and not meant for gentlefolk. She said nothing but her silence meant disapproval.
She rarely talked to me after that.
iii. According to her, what was not meant for gentle folk?
Ans: Music
4.When I went up to University, I was given a room of my own. The common link of friendship was
snapped. My grandmother accepted her seclusion with resignation. She rarely left her spinning-wheel
to talk to anyone. From sunrise to sunset she sat by her wheel spinning and reciting prayers. Only in the
afternoon she relaxed for a while to feed the sparrows. While she sat in the verandah breaking the bread
into little bits, hundreds of little birds collected round her creating a veritable bedlam of chirruping. Some
came and perched on her legs, others on her shoulders. Some even sat on her head. She smiled but
never shooed them away. It used to be the happiest half hour of the day for her.
5.She had always been short and fat and slightly bent. Her face was a crisscross of wrinkles running from
everywhere to everywhere. No, we were certain she had always been as we had known her. Old, so
terribly old that she could not have grown older, and had stayed at the same age for twenty years. She
could never have been pretty; but she was always beautiful. She hobbled about the house in spotless
white with one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of her
rosary. Her silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face, and her lips constantly
moved in inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter landscape in the mountains,
an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment.
1. What stories of the grandfather did the author mentioned as ‘Fable of the prophets’? Why?
Ans:- The author has always seen his grandmother as an old lady in white saree praying all the time. He
could not imagine her as a child playing. Therefore, when she used to narrate how she used to play in
her childhood, the author treated the story of grandmother’s childhood stories as ‘Fable of the
prophets.’
2. Why could the grandmother not walk straight? How did she move around the house?
Ans:- The grandmother’s body was bent. She was too old to walk straight. She was forced to put a hand
on her waist to support the stoop so that she could not walk straight. She used to hobbled around the
house putting one hands on her waist and counting the beads of rosary with the other hand.
3. What was the grandmother’s reaction towards education in the English school?
Ans:- The grandmother was not happy because she could no longer help the narrator in his lessons. She
did not like the fact that there was no teaching of God and scriptures in the English school. Moreover
66
she was extremely unhappy when she came to know that her grandson was taught music which she
considered suitable only for baggers and harlots.
Ans:- The grandmother is an old lady of strong personality. She was religious but not sentimental. She
loved her grandchild and helped him to grow up with her support, care and good teaching in the early
stage of his life. Her face was full of wrinkles. As the author said, she was never pretty, but always
beautiful because she had a very beautiful mind. She never complained about anything, accepted the
changes in her life.
She never spent her life in gossiping and lamenting at the old age. She was very active, strong and
generous lady. She spent her time in praying, spinning wheel and feeding the dogs and sparrow.
Ans:- The whole story revolves round the relationship between the narrator and his grandmother.
Khushwant Singh’s grandmother was closely involved in bringing him up when the author lived with her
in the village during his early life. She used to wake him up early in the morning. While bathing and
dressing him, she sang her prayers, she hoped that the young boy would learn it by heart. She then gave
him breakfast-a stale chapatti with butter and sugar. Then they would go together to the temple and
school. While the author learnt his lessons, the grandmother would read holy books. They returned
home together. A turning point came in their friendship when his parents called them to city. Although
they shared a room, she could not help him much. She hated music, science and western education. The
common link of their friendship was gradually snapped. She celebrated the narrator’s homecoming in
an exceptional way and died next day.
3. Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother
died.
Ans:- The grandmother had a very close and loving relationship with the sparrows. In the evening, when
the author and his family members went to grandmother’s room to take her for the last rites, they saw
thousands of sparrows sitting scattered on the floor near her. They were silent. There was no chirping.
The author’s mother offered them some bread but the sparrows took no notice. After the grandmother’s
body was taken away, the sparrows flew away quietly.
Thus, the sparrows mourned her death and paid silent tribute to the grandmother in a unique manner
because they had strong emotional bond with her. This is how the sparrows expressed their sorrow when
the author’s grandmother died.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….................................................
67
2. We’re Not afraid to Die — If We Can All Be Together
By Gordon Cook and Alan East
The story, ‘We’re Not afraid to Die—if We Can All Be Together” is a story of extreme courage and skill
exhibited by Gordon Cook, his family and crewmen in a war with water and waves for survival.
Round the world voyage In July 1976, the narrator, his wife Mary, son Jonathan and daughter Suzanne
set sail from Plymouth, England repeating the round-the-world voyage made 200 years earlier by
Captain James Cook.
• took the voyage in the Southern Indian Ocean in their professionally built ship, the wave walker, a
23 meter long and 30 ton Wooden boat.
• accompanied by two experienced sailors - Larry Vigil, an American and Herb Seigler, a Swiss.
• The first part of the journey, that is, about 105,000 kilometers up to Cape Town passed
Attack of the big wave
• On the second day, they began to encounter strong gales up to 15 meters, as high as the main mast.
• On 25th December, the writer’s ship was in the southern Indian Ocean, 3500
kilometers to the east of Cape Town and celebrated their New Year in the ship.
• At dawn on January 2 due to unfriendly weather and gigantic waves
— the sailors slow their speed,
— drop storm jib and take other precautions.
— sailors complete life-raft drill,
— attach life lines and life jackets.
• Suddenly at 6 pm, a tremendous explosion shook the Wave walker, and the author was thrown
overboard.
• The ship was about to capsize when another gigantic wave hit it tossing it upright once again. in spite
of his injuries, the narrator took charge of the situation. Somehow he found the wheel, lined up the
stern for the next wave and hung on till Mary appeared and took charge of the wheel.
• Larry and Herb started pumping out water like madmen.
• The whole starboard side bulged inwards.
• The narrator managed to cover canvas across the gaps to prevent water from entering the ship.
• Then came more problems. Their hand pumps stopped working and electric pumps short-circuited.
• the narrator found a spare electric pump under the chartroom that worked.
• The entire night was spent in pumping, steering, repairing and sending radio signals.
• The narrator checked charts and calculated that lie Amsterdam, a French scientific base was their
only hope.
• Sue’s head was swollen and she had a deep injury.
• Finally, they reached Ile Amsterdam, a volcanic island where they were welcomed by 28
inhabitants.
• Thus, the collective strength and never-failing optimism of the sailors made it possible for them to
come out of the jaws of death.
• Though, Jonathan and Suzanne did not do anything to save Wave walker but their courage, faith and
optimism gave extra strength and persistence to the narrator and his team.
Q.5. What was the ultimate lesson learned by Gordon and his family from their experience?
A) The importance of perseverance and teamwork
B) The unpredictability of nature
C) The significance of advanced sailing equipment
D) The necessity of avoiding risky adventures
ANSWERS
1. C) To spend more time together as a family
2. A) A severe storm
3. B) Confidence and bravery
4. C) By navigating through the storm
5. A) The importance of perseverance and teamwork
1.Describe the preparations the family made before embarking on their voyage.
Answer: The family spent months preparing for their voyage by equipping their boat, Wave walker,
with the necessary supplies and tools. They practiced their sailing skills and made sure the boat was in
top condition.
2.Analyze the role of teamwork and mutual support in the survival of the family. Provide examples
from the text.
Answer: Teamwork and mutual support were crucial to the family's survival. The author and his wife
worked tirelessly to manage the boat and ensure safety, while the children stayed brave and positive.
For instance, when the wave hit, they all took up roles – the adults handled repairs and navigation,
while the children helped as much as they could and provided emotional support. This unity and
collaborative effort were key to overcoming the crisis.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
SUMMARY
The article provides details of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter. King Tut was
the last heir of a powerful dynasty that ruled Egypt once. It summarizes Tut’s Life and reign, including
restoring worship of God Amun and moving of the capital back to Thebes. It describes some of the
magnificent treasures found in his tomb, including gold coffins and a famous golden mask.
70
b) To make sure that the precious metals don’t lose their shine
c) To ensure that Tut’s spirit was tied down in his tomb forever.
d) To ensure that Tut is able to take a rebirth
ANSWERS:
i. (b) The funerary treasure found in Tut’s tomb.
ii. (d) To ensure that Tut is able to take a rebirth
iii. (c) Articles of old times and of great historical importance
2. He was just a teenager when he died. The last heir of a powerful family that had ruled Egypt and its
empire for centuries, he was laid to rest laden with gold and eventually forgotten. Since the discovery
of his tomb in 1922, the modern world has speculated about what happened to him, with murder being
the most extreme possibility. Now, leaving his tomb for the first time in almost 80 years.
ANSWERS:
i)(a) Tutankhamun
ii)(a) Mummy of King Tut was found.
71
iii)Pharaoh
3.Carter, Howard Carter, that was the British archaeologist who in 1922 discovered Tut’s tomb after
years of futile searching. Its contents, though hastily ransacked in antiquity, were surprisingly complete.
They remain the richest royal collection ever found and have become part of the pharaoh’s legend.
Stunning artefacts in gold, their eternal brilliance meant to guarantee resurrection, caused a sensation
at the time of the discovery and still get the most attention. But Tut was also buried with everyday
things he’d want in the afterlife: board games, a bronze razor, linen undergarments, cases of food and
wine.
i) Who found King Tut’s mummy?
a) Howard Carter
b) ZahiHawas
c) Akhetaten
d) Amenhotep
ii) Why were kings laden with things?
a) It was believed that they could sell them in afterlife
b) It was believed that they could enjoy them in afterlife
c) It was believed that they could dispose of them in afterlife
d) None of these
iii) What is artefact?
a) A man-made object
b) A god-made object
c) A natural object
d) None of these
ANSWERS:
i)(a) Howard Carter
ii)© It was believed that they could dispose of them in afterlife
iii) (a) A man-made object
4.Carter really had little choice. If he hadn’t cut the mummy free, thieves most certainly would have
circumvented the guards and ripped it apart to remove the gold. In Tut’s time the royals were fabulously
wealthy, and they thought or hoped they could take their riches with them. For his journey to the great
beyond, King Tut was lavished with glittering goods: precious collars, inlaid necklaces and bracelets,
rings, amulets, a ceremonial apron, sandals, sheaths for his fingers and toes, and the now iconic inner
coffin and mask all of pure gold. To separate Tut from his adornments, Carter’s men removed the
mummy’s head and severed nearly every major joint. Once they had finished, they reassembled the
remains on a layer of sand in a wooden box with padding that concealed the damage, the bed where
Tut now rests.
i) What made Carter cut the mummy free?
a) For he was afraid of authorities
b) For he was afraid of thieves
c) For he was afraid of government
d) All of these
ii) What did the royals of Egypt think in ancient time?
a) That they could spend their riches posthumously
72
b) That they could take their riches with them posthumously
c) That they could save their riches posthumously
d) All of these
iii) How did Carter’s men remove the gold from the mummy?
a) By hardening the resins
b) By softening the resins
c) By chiselling the body
d) None of these
ANSWERS:
i(b) For he was afraid of thieves
ii)(b) That they could take their riches with them posthumously
iii) (c) By chiselling the body
5.An angry wind stirred up ghostly dust devils as King Tut was taken from his resting place in the ancient
Egyptian cemetery known as the Valley of the Kings*. Dark-bellied clouds had scudded across the desert
sky all day and now were veiling the stars in casket grey. It was 6 p.m. on 5 January 2005. The world’s
most famous mummy glided head first into a CT scanner brought here to probe the lingering medical
mysteries of this little understood young ruler who died more than 3,300 years ago.
ANSWERS:
i)(a) He was the last ruler of a powerful dynasty.
ii)(d) b & c both
iii) (c) The reason of his death and aftermath is a mystery.
73
i) “I was so worried. But now I think I will go and sleep.” – Explain the reason behind the mental
state of the speaker, following “Discovering Tut”.
ZahiHawas was Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities in 2005. King Tut’s mummy
was already in a bad condition as Howard Carter pieced it during excavation. Zahi Hawaswas scared of
inflicting more damage to it when the first ever CT scan of King Tut’s mummy for an accurate forensic
reconstruction was arranged. Also people associated with the program were superstitious. When
everything went as planned, he was relieved.
ii) “The mummy is in very bad condition because of what Carter did in the 1920s,” – How was
Howard Carter responsible? What was the aftermath of his decision?
Howard Carter was the British archaeologist who in 1922 discovered Tut’s tomb. Due to the hardening
of the resin, the mummy was firmly affixed with the coffin and as a last resort, Carter pieced the mummy
to make it suitable for transport.
Carter’s decision damaged the mummy to a great extent and destroyed the natural state of the mummy,
resulting in immense disfiguration of the body. This prevented other scientific investigators from trying
to find out the reasons for King Tut’s death at an early age.
iii) Why did King Tut’s mummy have to undergo a CT scan? What did it reveal?
Rising to the throne during his boyhood, a pre-mature death under mysterious circumstances and being
the last of his bloodline, made King Tut a centre of attraction amidst the Historical community.
A CT Scan was performed to obtain a 3D image of the internal of the mummy, to determine the cause
and the exact age at the time of his early death. It revealed that breast-bone and front ribs are missing.
Iv )List some adornments on Tut’s body had the adornments been buried along with the body?
The mummy of Tut was decorated with precious collars, inlaid necklaces, rings bracelets, amulets, and
a ceremonial apron There were sandals, sheaths for fingers and toes, and the inner golden coffin and
mask. All of them were made of pure gold. According to the beliefs, it was thought that they could take
their riches with them to the great beyond.
v) What changes did King Tut bring out during his reign?
King Tut was named Tutankhaten at the time of his birth. On succeeding his father to the Egyptian
throne after Akhenaten, King Tut brought about a restoration of the old customs. First, he changed his
name to Tutankhamun in reverence of the old god Amun. Then he oversaw the restoration and
reopening of old temples, shrines, and idols.
1 “…initiated one of the strangest periods in the history of Egypt” – Why was the rule of Amenhotep
IV termed strange? Describe Tut’s attempt to restore balance.
74
Ancient Egypt was religious society and after inheriting the throne from Amenhotep III, Amenhotep IV
promoted the worship of the Aten, the sun disk. He changed his name to Akhenaten, or ‘servant of
the Aten,’ and moved the religious capital from the old city of Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten,
known now as Amarna. He further shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major god, smashing his
images and closing his temples.
His demise brought Smenkhkare to power for a brief period and next very young Tutankhaten took
the throne. The boy king soon changed his name to Tutankhamun, ‘living image of Amun,’ and
oversaw a restoration of the old ways. He reigned for about nine years — and then died unexpectedly.
Archaeology has changed substantially in the intervening decades. It now focusses less on treasure and
more on the interesting details of life and the intriguing mysteries of death. It also uses more
sophisticated tools, including medical technology. At the time of discovery in 1922, Howard Carter and
his companions focussed more on the treasure and safekeeping of the gold. He disfigured the mummy
by cutting it up in several pieces, for easier transportation . In 1968, more than forty years after Carter's
discovery, an anatomy professor X-rayed the mummy and revealed a startling fact: beneath the resin
that cakes King Tut's chest, his breast bone and front ribs were missing
Today, diagnostic imaging can be done with computed tomography, or CT, by which hundreds of X-rays
in cross section are put together like slices of bread to create a three dimensional virtual body. It can
even answer questions such as how a person died, and how old he was at the time of his death.
3. What do we know from the story ―Discovering Tut… the Saga continues – about the materialistic
attitude of a man?
For a handful of gold, man can go to any extent. Tut’s mummy was buried deep in the desert with a lot
of gold and other things believing that the dead Pharaoh would need those things in the afterlife. It was
a matter of faith. When Tut’s tomb was discovered, much of the treasure had already been looted. The
thieves did it being driven by the mad force of materialism. Materialistic attitude attaches no
importance to beliefs, religious sentiments and social rites and rituals. But when Carter finally
succeeded in discovering Tut’s tomb, he found the richest royal collection—all made of solid gold—in
the tomb. Even the coffin was made of gold. In order to remove Tut from his coffin, Carter had to cut
the body from its joints. So, man doesn’t allow even the dead to sleep in peac
Submitted by-
4
THE ADVENTURE
By Jayant P Narlikar
SUMMARY:
In this story, a fantasy, the writer combines history, science and philosophy in a unique way. Professor
Gaitonde is hit by a truck and loses his consciousness for a few days. During this period, he finds himself
in a different world. In that different world, Bombay is still under the British rule and the rest of India is
75
independent. In independent India, there is the Prime Minister called Peshwa staying in Pune, and the
Mughal Emperor, now a titular head of the state, staying in Delhi. In the real world, the Marathas lost
the Battle of Panipat. However, in this different world of the professor, the Marathas had won the Battle
of Panipat. The Maratha confederacy is as strong as ever, and the British are confined only to Bombay
(Now Mumbai).
The physicist Professor Rajendra Deshpande tries to explain Prof. Gaitonde’s experience on the basis of
theories of catastrophe and lack of determinism in quantum theory. He tells Gaitonde that he travelled
neither to the past nor to the future, and that he was in the present, only experiencing the kind of the
world he wished to see. He says his history was the history as it ought to have taken place in his view.
At the time of collision, the professor might be thinking of the catastrophe theory.
MCQs: 1 mark
Q1. What is the name of the protagonist of the story “ The Adventure”?
A. Professor Ajay Sharma
B. Prof. Gangadharpant Gaitonde
C. Professor George Bush
D. Professor Gangadhar Kant Gaitonde
Answer : B
Q2) What is the name of train by which Professor Gaitonde was travelling?
A. Deccan Queen
B. Rajdhani Express
C. Jijamata Express
D. Shatabdi Express
Answer: C
Q3) Whom did Prof. Gaitonde meet during his train Journey?
A. Khan Sahib
B. Pathan
C. Gupta
D. Prof. George
Answer: A
Q4) What did the Professor do when he saw the empty chair?
A.He sat on the chair
B.He went away
C.He stood in the crowd
D.He went back to his guest house.
Answer: A
Q5) How did the crowd react when he sat on the empty presidential chair?
76
A. Heard his speech
B. Did nothing but ignored him
C. Asked him to leave politely
D. Threw several objects at him and pushed him away
Answer: D
1) To his dismay, the East India Company(EIC) met its match in the new Maratha ruler, Vishwas rao. He
and his brother, Madhavrao, combined political acumen with valour and systematically expanded their
influence all over India. The Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and
Madras, just like its European rivals, the Portuguese and the French.
a) The expression "to its dismay the East India Company met its match" is the same as-----------------
i) the EIC and the Marathas were unequally matched in the battlefield
(ii) the EIC had an upper hand militarily
(iii) the Marathas were a notch better than the English
(iv) the English were shocked to discover the matching prowess of Marathas
(b) What do the words that both the brothers "combined political acumen with valour" mean?
(c) "The company was reduced to pockets of influence" indicates that……………..
Answers
(a) (iv) the English were shocked to discover the matching prowess of Marathas
(b) The brothers together had political shrewdness and courage.
(c) its control remained over very small areas..
2) Force of habit took Professor Gaitonde towards the pandal. The lecture was in progress, although people
kept coming and going But Professor Gaitonde was not looking at the audience. He was staring at the
platform as if mesmerised. There was a table and a chair but the latter was unoccupied.
The presidential chair unoccupied! The sight stirred him to the depths. Like a piece of iron attracted to a
magnet, he swiftly moved towards the chair.
The speaker stopped in mid-sentence, too shocked to continue. But the audience soon found voice.
(a) The meaning of the underlined word in the sentence. "He was staring at the platform as if
mesmerized is …………………….
(b) The statement "The sight stirred him to the depths" is the same as
(i)he was deeply touched by the gesture
(ii) he was delighted to the core
(iii) he was moved to tears
(iv) he was dismayed at the vacant chair
(c) Identify the literary device in "Like a piece of…………………………… the chair".
ANSWERS
(a) fascinated (b) he was dismayed at the vacant chair (c) simile
77
3.Gangadharpant pressed home his advantage. "I had inadvertently slipped the Bakhar in my pocket as I
left the library. I discovered my error when I was paying for my meal. I had intended to return it the next
morning. But it seems that in the melee of Azad Maidan, the book was lost, only this torn-off page
remained. And, luckily for me, the page contains vital evidence.’’ Rajendra again read the page. It described
how Vishwasrao narrowly missed the bullet; and how that event, taken as an omen by the Maratha army,
turned the tide in their favour.
Answers:
(a) (i) he capitalized on an advantage he already had.
(b) Unintentionally
(c) Taken as an auspicious sign.
4 There was no great disparity between the latter's troops and the opposing forces. Their armour was
comparable. So a lot depended on the leadership and the morale of the troops. The juncture at which
Vishwasrao, the son of and heir to the Peshwa, was killed proved to be the turning point. As history has
it,his uncle Bhausaheb rushed into the melee and was never seen again. Whether he was killed in battle
or survived is not known. But for the troops at that particular moment, that blow of losing their leaders
was crucial.They lost their morale and fighting spirit There followed an utter rout. 3
(b) What does "the turning point” in the battle refer to?
Answers:
(a) (iv) they were equally matched in defense
(b) the killing of Vishwasrao and Bhausaheb
(c) the Marathas were completely beaten
5) By making a transition, you were able to experience two worlds although one at a time. The one you
live in now and the one where you spent two days. One has the history we know, the other a different
78
history. The separation or bifurcation took place in the Battle of Panipat. You neither travelled to the past
nor to the future. You were in the present but experiencing a different world. Of course, by the same token
there must be many more different worlds arising out of bifurcations at different points of time." 3
(a) The statement "By making a transition.……………. at a time" means that…………………
(b) What was the ultimate truth about bifurcations as revealed by Rajendra?
(c) The statement "One has the history we know, the other a different history" means
(i) actual reality versus alternate reality
(ii) real world versus spiritual world
(iii) reel world versus real world
(iv) imaginary world versus spectral world
Answers:
(a) The Professor experienced two worlds, one at a time.
Q2) Who was Professor Gaitonde? Why was he surprised to see the name of East India Company on an
imposing building in Bombay?
Ans: Professor Gaitonde was a history professor living in Poona in the 20th century.He lived in Independent
India.He has authored many books on History.He had also chaired many meetings( 999).
He was surprised to see the name of the East India Company on a building in Bombay because it belonged
to the 18th and 19th centuries when the Company was ruling India.It did not exist in the present time.
Q3) How did the Peshwas keep in step with the changing times in the 20th century?
Ans: The Peshwas kept apace with the changing times in the 20th century by setting up centres of science
and technology. They were highly inspired by the West. India moved towards a democracy. For Technology
development, they also accepted help from the East India Company.
Q4) What was Gangadhar pant’s experience in the Azad maidan? How was he treated and what effect
did it have on his life?
79
Ans: Gangadhar Pant saw a pandal at the Azad Maidan. The lecture was in progress. He was mesmerised
by the platform where the main chair was unoccupied. The unoccupied Presidential chair attracted his
attention. He went and occupied the Presidential Chair.
The audience reacted sharply. The people asked him to vacate the chair. When he resisted he became the
target of tomatoes, eggs and other objects. Ultimately he was ejected out of it physically.
As a result , he decided in his real life never to preside over any public function or to address a gathering.
Ans: Professor Gaitonde finds himself in a train( Jijamata Express) going to Bombay. Khan Sahib,a fellow
traveller tells him that the British Raj has begun from the station called Sarhad. Khan Sahib told Professor
that he was going to Peshawar. He asked Professor Gaitonde’s destination. Then he started talking about
his business. In this way, Professor Gaitonde got a flavour of life in India.
Ans: Catastrophic Theory was originated by the French Mathematician, Rene Thom, in 1960s. It is a special
branch of dynamical systems theory. It studies and classifies phenomena characterised by sudden shifts in
behaviour arising from small changes in circumstances.
Rajendra Deshpande uses this theory to explain the Battle of Panipat. Both the armies of Abdali and the
Marathas were equally strong. But the bullet missed Vishwasrao. Its effect on the troops was as that of
morale booster. Similar statements are made about the Battle of Waterloo which Napoleon could have
won. As regards Gangadharpant who, by making transition, was able to experience two worlds although
one at a time, the one he lived in at that time and the other where he spent two days.
Q2) How did Rajendra Deshpande explain Gangadhar Pant's experience? Write in detail.
Ans. Prof. Rajendra explained Prof. Gatitonde's theory on the basis of catastrophe theory and the lack of
determinism in the quantum theory. He applied catastrophe theory to the Battle of Panipat. Both the
armies were well-equipped, so, a lot depended on the leadership and the morale of the troops. He said
that the point at which Vishwasrao was killed proved to be the turning point. Whether be was killed in the
battle or survived was not known that time. But, the troops were in constant stress of losing their crucial
leaders. They lost their morale and fighting spirit. Now, when the bullet missed Vishwarao, the battle took
the other way, and the troops felt encouraged. It boosted their morale and they applied a lot of efforts to
lion the battle. This happened due to the lack of determinism in quantum theory which means that you
cannot predict the behavior of anything, even the outcome may be vastly different.
Prof. Gaitonde was able to experience a different reality because he made a transition to the other India
where the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat. The transition occurred because at the moment of the
collision, Prof. Gaitonde was thinking of the catastrophe Theory and the Battle of Panipat.
80
Q3. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around
him. Explain briefly.
Ans. Mumbai, that Gangadharpant was familiar of was completely different when the train stopped
beyond the long tunnel, at a small station called Sarhad. Gangadharpant was stunned to see an Anglo-
Indian in uniform checking permits. He got to know that this was the place from where the British rule
began. For Gandadharpant, this was the new Mumbai. When the train passed the Suburban rail traffic, he
noticed blue carriages with the marking, GBMR ( Greater Bombay Metropolitan Rail) and the tiny Union
Jack painted on each carriage. The station looked spick and span. The staff included Anglo-Indians and
Parsees along with some British officers. He also noticed the building to be East India Company office along
with some different-looking shops and office buildings. Bombay was now completely under the influence
of British rule.
Q4. The lessons "The Adventure' and 'We are Not Afraid to Die...' are based on adventure. Show how
the adventures described in each are similar or different. Answer briefly.
Ans. The two lessons are vastly different in the adventures they describe. "The Adventure' is a science
fiction and "We're Not Afraid to Die' is an account of real life adventure. The former is based on a theory
of Quantum Physics that alternative worlds and realities can coexist. Due to this Prof. Gaitonde was able
to experience a different reality of the 3rd battle of Panipat in which the Marathas routed Abdali's forces.
Eventually they defeated the East India Company. On the other hand, "We're Not Afraid..." deals with
turbulent ocean, a shipwrecked yacht and the battle for survival. It is the adventure of a ship captain and
his family.
SILK ROAD
By Nick Middleton
SUMMARY
The story is written by Nick Middleton. This chapter is about the narrator’s journey from slopes of Ravu to
Mount Kailash to complete the kora. To bid him farewell, Lhamo gave him a long sleeve sheepskin coat.
He hired Tsetan’s car for his journey and took Daniel along to escort him to Darchen. The protagonist
wanted to go to Mount Kailash to complete the kora. He hired Tsetan to drive him up to Mount Kailash.
As a farewell gift, Lhamo gave him a long-sleeved sheepskin coat. He took Daniel as his companion till
Darchen.
When they started the journey, Tsetan took a short cut to the south-west which was a direct route to
Mount Kailash. They had to cross high mountain passes to reach their destination. Tsetan assured him that
it would be no problem if there would be no snow. They crossed through few gazelles, a herd of wild asses
and shepherds tending the flocks.
81
When they reached the hill, they passed dark tents which were home for nomads. He saw a Tibetan mastiff
standing outside the tent as a guard. These mastiffs ran after his car as he reached near the tents. These
dogs had large jaws.As soon as they entered the valley, they witnessed snow-capped mountains with rivers
flowing which were blocked with ice. When they were riding through the hill, the turns became sharper
and roads became bumpier. Tsetan was driving in third gear. The protagonist could feel the pressure in his
ears. He held his nose, snorted to clear the congestion. He checked his wristwatch, they were at 5210
meters above sea level.
They reached their first hurdle which was a road filled with snow. Tsetan threw dirt on the snow and drove
carefully on that road. They resumed their journey. The protagonist felt his head was hurting. He took a
few sips of water from his water bottle. They were still climbing up the hill. They reached at 5515 meters
above sea level. They stopped again and this time the fuel tank hissed when Testan unscrewed the top. As
the petrol was expanding due to low atmospheric pressure, Tsetan told them not to smoke around it.
Soon in the afternoon around two o clock, they stopped for lunch. The protagonist’s headache was gone
by now. By late afternoon, they reached a small town called ‘Hor’. They reached the east-west highway
again. It was the old route from Lhasa to Kashmir. Daniel got off the car and took a lift to Lhasa. Their car
had a few punctures which worried Tsetan. He got them fixed and the protagonist waited at a local café
of Hor while having a glass of tea. He found Hor a miserable place. After a while, Tsetan reached to him
and they resumed their journey again.
At night around 10.30 pm, they stopped at a guest house in Darchen to spend the night. The protagonist
got ill and suffered from nose-congestion due to the change in altitude and cold weather. He stayed awake
all night. Next morning, Tsetan took him to Tibetan medical college where a he consulted a Tibetan Doctor
who gave him a five-day course medicine in a brown envelope.
After taking a full day of medicine, the protagonist was feeling good. Tsetan left him thereafter assuring
his health condition. The protagonist was staying at Darchen. That place had a general store where Chinese
cigarettes, soap, and other things were available. In the afternoon, the men gathered at a shabby table to
play pool every day. Women would wash their hair in the narrow stream. Darchen had one problem, it
had no pilgrims. According to the local people, in the peak season of pilgrimage the place would be filled
with travellers. He met a person in the Darchen’s only café. His name was Norbu who was a Tibetan
working in Beijing at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of Chinese Academy of Social Science. He came to
Darchen to complete the kora just like the protagonist. He was fat and found it difficult to walk. The
protagonist decided to go on the pilgrimage with him. They hired yaks to carry their luggage. Norbu finally
said it is not possible for him while he collapsed across the table and laughed hilariously. His tummy was
also too big. He was lazy and liked reading more than anything.
IV. Did the narrator encounter any wildlife in the course of his journey?
Ans. Yes, the narrator encountered a herd of wild asses and gazelles throughout his voyage, and shepherds
tending the flocks.
Where nomads lived, the narrator saw a Tibetan mastiff standing outside the tent as a guard. These
mastiffs ran after his car as he approached the tents. These dogs had large jaws.
V. How did the narrator and Tsetan negotiate the hurdle of the swathe of snow?
Ans. They couldn’t get around the snow because it was so steep. They needed to examine it. The risk was
that they would fall. They threw dirt in all directions, totally covering the snow. To lessen the load, the
narrator and Daniel got out of the car, and Tsetan drove it through the snow.
I. What was the purpose of the narrator’s journey? What route did he take to reach his destination?
Ans. The author had organised a religious pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and the Mansarovar Lake to practise
Kora. Kora is both a type of pilgrimage and a type of meditative practice in the Tibetan Buddhist or Bon
traditions. A Kora is performed by the practitioner making a circumambulation around a sacred site or
object, typically as a constituent part of a pilgrimage, ceremony, celebration or ritual. To get to
84
Mansarovar, he took the ancient Silk Road over the Himalayas, which borders Tibet. To get here, one must
travel via a number of snow-covered high mountain passes and vast open plains. The storyteller passed
through Hor and Darchenen route. Hor endured unusually frigid conditions. Hor was a gloomy, unkempt
place, according to the narrator. The narrator experienced an intense cold in Darchen, another unclean
location, and required medical care.
II. What physical discomfort did the narrator experience in Darchen? How did he find relief?
Ans. The narrator’s time in Darchen got quite difficult since he had developed a severe cold as a result of
blocked sinuses. He struggled for air. He was limited to using one nostril for breathing. He was utterly
restless and unable to fall asleep. He was afraid that if he went to sleep, he may pass away. He spent the
night lying in bed. The following morning, Tsetan drove him to the Darchen Medical College for medical
attention. He received a five-day course of Tibetan medicine, which brought him a great deal of comfort
and relief. He felt a little bit better when the procedure was completed and he could finally get some rest.
And he slept “like a log” that day.
III. Why was the narrator disappointed to find no pilgrims at Darchen? Was his disappointment
dispelled?
Ans. The Kora to Kailash and Mansarovar had to be completed by the narrator. He expected to meet groups
of pilgrims. Yet by the time he arrived in Darchen, the season had not yet begun. He grew so dejected and
lonely. Without any company, he felt uncomfortable and alone. He found it tough to spend his free time.
But after meeting Norbu, he swiftly overcame this despair.
The narrator interacted with him and became overly at ease around him. They were meant to be together
because they shared some traits and ideas. The narrator chose to perform Kora along with him. Both of
them were against performing Kora traditionally on foot, therefore they decided to hire yaks.
The finest aspect was how fluently Norbu could speak English despite being Tibetan. Norbu, in the
narrator’s opinion, would be the ideal friend.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
A PHOTOGRAPH
BY SHIRLEY TOULSON
About the Poet– Kathleen Shirley Toulson was born on 20 May, 1924 in England. She had a huge passion
for writing and was greatly influenced by her father, who was a father too. She studied B.A. (Literature)
from Brockenhurst college in London in 1953. She later became a writer and an editor in magazine. She
85
came under the influence of Celtic Christianity. Shirley Toulson has been writing books on the social
history of the countryside since 1974.
a) What does the phrase “smiling through their hair” signify in the poem?
A. The girls who were photographed had their hair decorated
B. The photographed girls were wearing a mask
C. When the girls were smiling for the camera, their hair was covering their faces.
D. The hair of the girls in the picture was smiling as well
Ans C. When the girls were smiling for the camera, their hair was covering their faces.
86
c) Identify a term in the extract that describes something as “lasting only briefly”?
A. Still
B. Transient
C. Changed
D. Less
Ans B Transient
87
4. “Now she’s been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived
And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all
Its silence silences”
88
Ans – The sea has not changed much with the passage of time. It is in sharp contrast to short,
transient, and temporary life and existence of the human beings.
2. Draw the similarities that can be seen between “The Portrait of a Lady” and “A Photograph.”
Ans:In the poem, the poet describes a photograph of her mothers’ childhood. The photograph is of the
time when the latter went for a sea holiday with her two girl cousins. Also, the poet contrasts between
nature, altering at the pace of a snail and the fast-changing human life. The poet remembers how her
mother laughs at the photograph and feel disappointed at the loss of her childhood joys.
On the other hand, the writer tells us the story of the childhood that he had spent with his
grandmother. The writer has explained his relationship with his grandmother over the years. He thinks
about her daily activities and how she grew as a character over time. He mentions her appearance,
which assists in creating a mental impression of her in the reader’s mind.
3. What can you say about the childhood of the poet’s mother?
Ans - In the poem, Shirley Toulson describes a photograph of her mothers’ childhood. In the
photograph of time when she went for a sea holiday with her two girl cousins. Also, poetess contrasts
between nature, altering at the pace of a snail and the fast-changing human life. Poetess remembers
how her mother laughs at the photograph and feel disappointed at the loss of her childhood joys.
However, then, the sea holiday was her mother’s past and now her mother’s laugh is the poetess’s
past. At different periods of time and with great difficulty, both resolve with their respective losses and
89
the pain that involves in remembering past. Besides, for the poetess, his mother’s death of her mother
brings great sadness and a dire sense of loss. Moreover, the painful ‘silence’ of the situation leaves her
without words.
POETIC DEVICES:
1. PERSONIFICATION: “said the voice of the rain” Rain speaks throughout the poem.
2. ANTITHESIS: “All together changed, and yet the same”- two opposite ideas have
been pulled together to describe the continuous cycle of rain.
3.METAPHOR: “I am the poem of the earth”.-Here life cycle of rain is compared to the life cycle of
poetry.
4. HYPERBOLE: bottomless sea ---Sea is not bottomless but has a bed; the great depth of the sea has
been exaggerated.
5.IMAGERY:soft falling shower (sight and sound)
6.OXYMORON: day and night reck’d or un reck’d
ANS:(b) rain enriches the earth just as poem enriches human mind.
90
(iii) Choose a word from the extract which means ‘lasting or existing forever’.
ANS: eternal.
(iii) The above extract delineates the functions of rain. Which of the following statement is TRUE with
respect to the extract?
(a)Rain helps to settle the dust on earth
(b)But for the rain seeds would remain dormant
(c) Rain helps in the formation of dusts.
(d) Rain descends to speak to the poet
(i) only option (a)
(ii) options (a),(b), (c)
(iii)options (a) and (b)
(iv) options (b), (c) and (d)
ANS: (iii)option (a) and (b)
3. Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,
Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form'd, altogether changed, and yet the same,
ANS:It originates from the land and the deep sea. Then it rises upward to heaven where it changes its
form into a cloud, yet remains the same in quality. From the sky it pours down on earth to wash the dry
tiny particles and dust layers of the earth.
4.And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin,
and make pure and beautify it.
(i) ‘I give back life to my own origin’ means
(a) Rain provides care and nourishment to its place of birth
(b)Rain gives life to all plants and animals
(c)Rain enriches poet’s mind
(d) Rain gives love to everything on earth
ANS: (a) Rain provides care and nourishment to its place of birth
(ii) Choose the most appropriate option with reference to the following statements.
1.Rain keeps cleansing the impurities of the earth.
2.Rain gives back life to every mortal.
(a) Both 1and 2 are correct.
(b) statement 1is correct but statement 2 is incorrect.
(c) Both 1and 2 are incorrect.
(d) statement 2is correct but statement 1 is incorrect.
92
(d) rain and earth
ANS: (a)nature and art
1. What message does the rain convey to the poet in "The Voice of the Rain"?
Ans: The rain conveys the message that it is a vital and nurturing force that gives life to the earth. It
describes its cyclical journey from the sky to the earth and back, highlighting its role in sustaining life and
purifying the environment.
1. Analyze the theme of the cyclical nature of life as depicted in "The Voice of the Rain."
Ans: The theme of the cyclical nature of life is central to "The Voice of the Rain." The rain describes its
journey from the earth to the sky and back, symbolizing the perpetual cycle of renewal and regeneration.
This cycle reflects the natural processes that sustain life, highlighting the interconnectedness of all elements
in the environment. The rain’s return to the earth in the form of life-giving water illustrates the idea of
continuity and the endless loop of creation and sustenance. This theme is a reminder of the balance and
harmony in nature, where every element plays a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem.
2. Discuss the use of personification in "The Voice of the Rain" and its impact on the poem’s message.
Ans: Personification is a key literary device in "The Voice of the Rain," as the poet gives the rain human-like
qualities, allowing it to speak and express its thoughts. This personification brings the rain to life, making
it a character that can convey its importance and purpose directly. By giving the rain a voice, Whitman
emphasizes its role as a nurturing and life-giving force. This technique enhances the reader’s understanding
93
and appreciation of the rain’s significance in the natural world. It also adds a lyrical quality to the poem,
making the rain’s journey and transformation more vivid and relatable, thereby reinforcing the message of
interconnectedness and the essential nature of the rain in sustaining life.
3. What impact does the rain have on the earth according to the poem?
Ans: The rain describes the impact that it has on earth in an interesting way. It washes around the droughts
and helps in removing the dust layer of the globe. Rain is the main element that is required for the
continuance of life on Earth. The seeds grow into full-grown plants only with the help of the rain.Rain also
helps nourish the seeds so that they produce healthy saplings in time. Without rain the seeds would remain
dormant or die out.
It helps in beautifying and refreshing the earth. The showers of rain help settle the dust particles and
cleanse the impurities thereby making the trees and plants look brighter and refreshed.
-----------------------------------
CONCEPTUAL NOTES:
➢ Themes:
a) Nature and its Cycles: The poem depicts the cycle of life and interaction within nature,
focusing on the relationship between the goldfinch and the laburnum tree.
b) Change and Transformation: The arrival of the goldfinch transforms the laburnum tree
from stillness to vibrant activity, illustrating how life can bring sudden change.
c) Interdependence in nature
➢ Imagery and Symbolism:
a) Laburnum Tree:
i. It symbolizes stillness and dormancy when described as "silent, quite still.
94
ii. The tree's transformation when the goldfinch arrives symbolizes potential and
hidden life.
b) Goldfinch:
i. Represents energy, life, and activity.
ii. Described as "sleek as a lizard, and alert and abrupt," highlighting its agility and
alertness.
iii. Its movements and sounds animate the tree, creating a sense of liveliness.
➢ Key Phrases:
a) "The Laburnum Top is silent, quite still” - Establishes the initial stillness and quiet of the scene.
b) "A suddenness, a startlement"- Conveys the immediate impact of the goldfinch's arrival.
c) "It is the engine of her family"- Metaphorically describes the goldfinch as the driving force
that energizes her family and the tree.
d) "Chitterings, tremor of wings, and trillings"- Auditory imagery that captures the sounds made
by the goldfinch, adding to the dynamic atmosphere.
e) "The whole tree trembles and thrills"- Describes the physical reaction of the tree to the
goldfinch's activity, emphasizing the impact of life and movement.
MIND MAP:
➢ Setting of the poem
1. Laburnum Tree-
❖ Silent
❖ Still
❖ Yellowing leaves
❖ Fallen seeds
2. Time-
❖ Afternoon
❖ September
❖ Yellow sunlight
➢ Arrival of the Goldfinch:
❖ Comes with twitching chirrup
❖ Causes suddenness and startlement
❖ Moves sleek as a lizard, alert and abrupt
❖ Enters the thickness
❖ Starts a machine of sounds- Chitterings, Tremor of wings, Trillings
❖ The Tree Reaction - Trembles, Thrills
❖ The Goldfinch - The Engine of her family
- Stokes the engine full
- Flirts out to a branch-end
➢ Departure of the Goldfinch:
❖ Shows barred face identity mask
❖ Whistle-chirrup whisperings
❖ Launches away towards the infinite (sky)
❖ Laburnum subsides to empty
95
COMPETENCY-BASED MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQS):
1. What is the initial state of the laburnum tree in the poem?
a) Full of life and movement
b) Silent and still
c) Covered in snow
d) Blooming with flowers
Ans: b) Silent and still
2. In what season does the poem take place?
a) Spring
b) Summer
c) Autumn
d) Winter
Ans: c) Autumn
3. What effect does the goldfinch have on the laburnum tree?
a) It makes the tree wither
b) It brings the tree to life with sounds and movement
c) It causes the tree to lose its leaves
d) It makes the tree grow taller
Ans: b) It brings the tree to life with sounds and movement
4. How the goldfinch is described when it arrives?
a) Slow and sluggish
b) Bright and colourful
c) Sleek as a lizard, and alert and abrupt
d) Quiet and calm
Ans: c) Sleek as a lizard, and alert and abrupt
5. What does the phrase "engine of her family" metaphorically refer to?
a) The tree’s roots
b) The goldfinch’s nest
c) The goldfinch itself
d) The tree’s branches
Ans:c) The goldfinch itself
6. What is the goldfinch's action after stoking the engine of her family?
a) She builds a nest
b) She flirts out to a branch-end
c) She falls asleep
d) She hunts for food
Answer: b) She flirts out to a branch-end
1. Discuss the transformation of the laburnum tree in the poem "The Laburnum Top" by Ted Hughes.
How does the arrival of the goldfinch change the scene?
97
Hint: Start by describing the initial state of the laburnum tree (silent, still, yellow sunlight).
Explain the impact of the goldfinch's arrival (energy, sounds, movement). Discuss how the
tree transforms from stillness to activity, and then back to stillness when the goldfinch leaves.
2. Analyse the use of imagery and symbolism in the poem "The Laburnum Top" by Ted Hughes. How
do these literary devices enhance the overall theme of the poem?
Hint: Identify key images (silent tree, goldfinch's movements) and symbols (laburnum tree,
goldfinch as an engine). Explain how these images and symbols create a vivid picture and
highlight themes of transformation and life cycles.
3. Examine the theme of nature and its cycles in "The Laburnum Top." How does Ted Hughes portray
the relationship between the goldfinch and the laburnum tree?
Hint: Discuss the initial state of the tree and the change brought by the goldfinch. Explain the
symbiotic relationship between the tree and the bird. Highlight the cyclic nature of activity
and stillness in the poem.
4. How does Ted Hughes use sound to enhance the imagery in "The Laburnum Top"? Provide
examples from the poem to support your analysis.
Hint: Focus on the sounds associated with the goldfinch (twitching chirrup, chitterings,
tremor of wings, trillings). Describe how these sounds contrast with the initial silence and add
to the vivid imagery and dynamic atmosphere of the poem.
98
5. Discuss the theme of transformation in the poem. How is this theme developed through the
interactions between the goldfinch and the tree?
Hint: Focus on the change in the tree's state from stillness to activity and back to stillness,
and how this reflects broader themes of nature and life.
Literary Devices
6. How does Ted Hughes use auditory imagery to enhance the poem? Provide specific examples.
Hint:Examine phrases like "twitching chirrup," "chitterings," "tremor of wings," and "trillings,"
and explain how they create a soundscape in the poem.
7. Analyse the symbolism of the laburnum tree and the goldfinch. What do they represent?
Hint:Consider the tree as a symbol of dormancy and potential, and the goldfinch as a symbol
of life and energy.
Personal Reflection
8. Reflect on a time when a seemingly insignificant event brought unexpected energy and
change into your life. How does this relate to the poem's depiction of the goldfinch and the
laburnum tree?
Hint:Think about personal experiences that parallel the sudden transformation described in
the poem.
9. How does the poem's free verse form contribute to its overall effect?
Hint:Consider the lack of a strict rhyme scheme or meter and how this mirrors the natural,
spontaneous interaction between the goldfinch and the tree.
10.What emotions does the poem evoke in you as a reader? How do Hughes's descriptions and
literary techniques contribute to these emotions?
Hint:Reflect on your feelings while reading the poem and analyse how specific words,
phrases, and images create these emotional responses.
CHILDHOOD
BY – MARKUS NATTEN
Summary of the poem
• The poet talks about his childhood. He feels that he lost his childhood but he wanted to know
where he lost it and when he lost it.
• He gives the answer to himself that when he completed his age of eleven, he lost his childhood
because people say that if a child completes eleven years, he will be no more a child.
• He tries to find out Hell and Heaven in Geography. It shows that now he does not believe in the
stories told in his childhood.
99
• He has questions for the parents why they behave differently than what they say,especially
what they say of love. They do not act lovingly.
• He asked questions to himself when he started thinking himself, he realized that his mind was
his own. He could not use his mind in the childhood because he was told to obey the
instructions given by his elders (parents).
• He felt that his childhood went to some forgotten place, because he was not able to remember
it. His childhood disappeared, he felt it is hidden in infant’s face because they are the most
innocent.
• These questions indicate that there was a change in his growing up.
iii) Do you believe, the poet feels that he lost his childhood?Why did you believe so?
Ans: Yes. Because he tried to use his logic to find out, Hell and Heaven in Geography
2) Read the extract given and answer the following questions (3×1=3)
When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realized that adults were not all they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day!
3) Read the extract given below and answer the following questions (3×1=3)
When did my childhood go?
Was it when I found my mind was really mine,
To use whichever way I choose,
Producing thoughts that were not those of other people
But my own,mine alone
Was that the day!
4) Read the given extract and answer the following questions ( 3×1=3)
Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
That is hidden in an infant’s face that’s all I know
iii) Do you think in his childhood the poet was without his own mind? Why do you think so?
Ans: Yes, I think that the poet in his childhood, he could not use his mind because he was always
told that he should only obey the orders and that also without asking any questions. The poet
feels that in his childhood before eleven, he had his own mind but the adults always told him not
to use his or her mind and only obey the rules or whatever he was told to do
iv) What is the forgotten place? Why does the poet say that he forgot that?
Ans: The infant’s face is the forgotten place. When a child is of eleven, he or she are told to come
out of their childhood. The children feel that the childhood was no more with them after eleven
so where it went. They feel that certainly it is in them but in hidden way, hidden in infant’s face.
v) Is the poet happy to lose his childhood? Why do you think so?
Ans: No, the poet is not happy to lose his childhood. When he was of eleven, he started thinking
everything logically. He started following others
As he compared his childhood to adults, he realized that his childhood was a memorable
childhood. He was very happy to be a child. When he came out of his childhood, he lost his
happiness. As all the adults make complaints about losing their childhood, the poet also made
complaint.
102
The next question he asked when he was a child, he was told of Hell and Heaven but after eleven
years when he tried to find the place in Geography, he could not find them. So, he felt that they
were not the actual place.
The poet asked the question to the adults why they do not act lovingly as they always talk of love
and always preach of love. The poet could not find the answer and he felt that it may be the
significance of the adulthood.
The poet asked one more question when he was a child, he was always told to obey the
instructions given by their parents and others. He felt that in his childhood he never used his
mind though he had his own mind. So, he actually feels that he should use his own mind. He
should have his own thoughts.
In the last, he asked the question where his childhood went and he found the answer. Whatever
questions he asked he did not receive the answer from others. Some questions remained
unanswered and for some questions he himself gave the answers.
ii) Why does the poet say that his childhood went to forgotten place?
Ans: Forgotten place means ‘not to remember’, everybody knows that growing up is the natural
characteristics of the living thing. So, after their childhood, they become adult. Naturally they
lose their childhood. Now though they want to be a child, they would not be able to do so as
they lost it and where they lost it, they don’t know. They forgot it (the place).
The poet thinks that his childhood is hidden in the infant’s face. He always carries it with him but
he never meets it. He tries too much to remember his childhood but as he was told by others
that he remained no more child after eleven the tradition of the society compelled him to think
that he will not return to his childhood. If he behaves like a child after eleven, people will think
that he may have some mental problems.
All these things made him to forget his childhood.
103
Thus, there is a huge gap between childhood and adulthood. The children may have certain
questions in their minds but as they will become adults, they will find the answers to them.
FATHER TO SON
BY- ELIZABETH JENNINGS
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS
Extract 1
ii. What kind of relationship does the father want from his son?
Ans: As he had when son was small
iii. Why does the father not know anything about his son?
Ans: The son is entirely changed. He doesn’t share anything with his father
Extract 2
The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?
We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.
Extract 3
Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father’s house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move His world.
Extract 4
I would forgive him too,
Shaping from sorrow a new love.
Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land
i. What will the father build between him and his son?
a. a bond of love
b. discussion
c. altercation
d. consolation
Ans: a.
Extract 5
He speaks: I cannot understand
105
Myself, why anger grows from grief.
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.
SA TYPE QUESTIONS
1. What are the changes in the son?
Ans: Earlier when the son was a small child, he was very close to his son. He loved his father. Now
when son has grown up, he rarely talks to his father.
2. What does father want to say through the line ‘there’s no sign of understanding in the air’?
Ans: Father is trying best to talk to his son. But he realises that his son is not ready to listen to him.
Father also does not accept as his son is now.
LA TYPE QUESTIONS
Ans: The poem centres on the tension between a father and son who have major communication
gaps. Despite sharing a house, they are like strangers to one another. This is what the father muses
over, and it serves as the poem’s focal point. He thinks of himself in terms of farming, feeling as
106
though he has planted his seed on someone else’s property, which prevents him from owning it. He
acknowledges that he is unable to share his son’s interests with him and anticipates that he will
return home. He is prepared to provide forgiveness to him and create new love out of grief. However,
his son acknowledges the futile efforts made by both parties to understand one another and feels
anger developing from sadness.
2. Why have father and son been apart from each other?
Ans: The poem portrays a father-son relationship that is merely symbolic. The two had shared a home
together for many years. Even then the father does not understand his son. He acknowledges that
he has no knowledge about his son. They no longer share an affectionate connection. They have
become formal just like strangers. Although the son looks physically similar to his father, he always
had his own vision, dreams, and aspirations. He is not confined to his home and is not averse to
travelling. The protective father is willing to forgive him for incurring loss of material wealth provided
he returns home. The father feels completely helpless, furious, and distraught as a result of the awful
experience of being unable to communicate. His attempts to mend the relationship fall short as there
is no response from the other side.
3. What sort of relationship between father and son has the poet shown in the poem ‘Father to
Son?
Ans: The poem displays a father-son relationship that is simply indicative. Both father and son had
shared a home together for long time. Even then the father is unable to understand his son. He
admits that he has no perception about his son. They no longer share an affectionate and cordial
connection. They have become formal just like strangers. Although the son looks physically similar
to his father, he always had his own vision, dreams, and aspirations. He is not confined to his home
and is not averse to travelling. The protective father is willing to forgive him for incurring loss of
material wealth provided he returns home. The father feels completely helpless, furious, and
distraught as a result of the awful experience of being unable to communicate. His attempts to mend
the relationship fall short as there is no response from the other side.
107
SNAPSHOTS
THE SUMMER OF THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE
-BY WILLIAM SAROYAN
GIST OF THE LESSON
“The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse” by William Saroyan, is a story about two Armenian boys
Aram and Mourad who belong to the Garoghlanian family. They are poor but they are known for their
honesty. Mourad and Aram have a crazy desire to ride a horse and Mourad steals a horse one day from
a farmer called John Byro to fulfil this desire. He takes his younger brother Aram alongwith him for horse-
rides. One day the owner of the horse, John Byro comes to their house to complain about his missing
horse to Uncle Khosrove.
Mourad and Aram keeps the horse with them for more than a month. One day on their way back to hide
the horse in the deserted vineyard of Fetvajian, the two boys encounter Byro who sees the horse. He
checks the horse thoroughly and finally says that he would have believed that it was his horse but he
was confident that being members of the Garoghlanian tribe, Aram and Mourad could never have stolen
his horse. The next morning, the boys secretly return the horse to Byro as they feel guilty for their act.
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS
Read the extracts given and answer the questions that follow:
EXTRACT 1
In the first place, my earliest memories had been memories of horses and my first longings had been
longings to ride.
This was the wonderful part.
In the second place, we were poor.
This was the part that would not permit me to believe what I saw.
We were poor. We had no money. Our whole tribe was poverty-stricken. Every branch of the
Garoghlanian family was living in the most amazing and comical poverty in the world. Nobody could
understand where we ever got money enough to keep us with food in our bellies, not even the old men
of the family. Most important of all, though, we were famous for our honesty.
I. Who is the speaker in these lines?
108
(a) Aram (b) Mourad (c) Uncle Khosrove (d) John Byro
Ans: Aram
II. “This was the part that would not permit me to believe what I saw.” What is the speaker unable
to believe in this line?
(a) That Mourad has bought a horse
(b) That Mourad has stolen a horse.
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) Only (a)
Ans: (a) That Mourad has bought a horse
III. The Garoghlanian tribe was famous for its---
(a) poverty(b) deceitfulness (c) greediness (d) honesty
Ans: (d) honesty
IV. Identify the antonym of “longing” from the following options:
(a) yearning (b) craving (c) loathing (d) pining
Ans: (c) loathing
EXTRACT 2
Well, it seemed to me stealing a horse for a ride was not the same thing as stealing something else, such
a money. For all I knew, may be it wasn’t stealing at all. If you were crazy about horses the way my cousin
Mourad and I were, it wasn’t stealing. It would not become stealing until we offered to sell the horse,
which of course, I knew we would never do.
I. What does this line indicate about Mourad?
(a) That Mourad had stolen the horse
(b) That Mourad had bought the horse
(c) That Mourad was planning to sell the horse
(d) That Mourad wanted to harm the horse
Ans: (a) That Mourad had stolen the horse
II. What is the intention of the speaker in these lines?
(a) condemning the act of stealing the horse
(b) convincing the readers to accept their act of stealing
(c) give justification of Mourad’s act of stealing
(d) applauding Mourad’s act of stealing the horse
Ans: (c) give justification of Mourad’s act of stealing
III. Which of the following option is NOT a justification of stealing the horse as expressed by the
speaker in the extract?
(a) Both Aram and Mourad were crazy about horses.
109
(b) They had stolen the horse only to ride the horse.
(c) John Byro was a rich man and therefore, he could buy a new horse.
(d) They had no intention of selling the horse for money.
Ans: (c) John Byro was a rich man and therefore, he could buy a new horse.
IV. Identify the synonym of “crazy” from the options given below:
(a) sane (b) tranquil (c) sensible (d) deranged
Ans: (d) deranged
EXTRACT 3
My cousin Mourad was considered the natural descendant of this man, although Mourad’s father was
Zorab, who was practical and nothing else. That’s how it was in our tribe. A man could be the father of
his son’s flesh, but that did not mean that he was also the father of his spirit. The distribution of the
various kinds of spirit of our tribe had been from the beginning capricious and vagrant.
I. Who has been referred to as “this man” in the first line of the extract?
(a) Aram (b) Mourad (c) Zorab (d) Uncle Khosrove
Ans: (d) Uncle Khosrove
II. Identify the correct option which corresponds to the following:
Father of his son’s flesh: Father of his spirit
(a) Aram: Mourad(b) Zorab: Uncle Khosrove
(c) Uncle Khosrove: Mourad (d) Zorab: Mourad
Ans: b) Zorab: Uncle Khosrove
III. Identify the meaning of “capricious” from the following options:
(a) fixed and constant
(b) a change which happens over a particular period of time
(c) sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behaviour
(d) firm and steady
Ans: (c) sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behaviour
IV. Which of these is NOT a synonym of “vagrant”?
(a) vagabond (b) static (c) wanderer (d) drifter
Ans: (b) static
EXTRACT 4
He was sitting under a peach tree, trying to repair the hurt wing of a young robin which could not fly.
He was talking to the bird.
What is it? He said.
110
The farmer, John Byro, I said. He visited our house. He wants his horse. You’ve had it a month. I want
you to promise not to take it back until I learn to ride.
It will take you a year to learn to ride, my cousin Mourad said.
We could keep the horse a year, I said.
My cousin Mourad leaped to his feet.
What? He roared. Are you inviting a member of the Garoghlanian family to steal? The horse must go
back to its true owner.
I. What trait of Mourad’s character is observed in the first line of the extract?
(a) Indifferent and apathetic
(b) Kind and sympathetic
(c) Dominating and oppressive
(d) Sincere and hardworking
Ans: (b) Kind and sympathetic
II. For how much time Aram was willing to keep the horse?
Ans: One year
III. “The horse must go back to its true owner”. What does this line suggest about Mourad’s intention
behind stealing the horse?
Ans: He had merely borrowed the horse to fulfil his desire of stealing and had no intention of stealing or
selling the horse.
IV. What made Mourad angry at Aram?
(a) When Aram wanted to learn horse-riding
(b) When Aram wanted the horse to be kept for a year
(c) When Aram asked Mourad to sell the horse
(d) When Aram informed that John Byro was looking for his horse
Ans: (b) When Aram wanted the horse to be kept for a year
EXTRACT 5
Tooth for tooth, he said. I would swear it is my horse if I didn’t know your parents. The fame of your family
for honesty is well known to me. Yet the horse is the twin of my horse. A suspicious man would believe
his eyes instead of his heart. Good day, my young friends.
Good day, John Byro, my cousin Mourad said.
Early the following morning we took the horse to John Byro’s vineyard and put in the barn. The dogs
followed us around without making a sound.
111
I. Why did John Byro refuse to believe that it was his horse?
(a) Because the horse looked different from his horse
(b) Because he had full faith on the honesty of the Garoghlanian family
(c) Because the teeth of the horse were different
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Ans: (b) Because he had full faith on the honesty of the Garoghlanian family
II. Why did the boys return the horse the next morning?
(a) Because they were afraid John Byro would tell their parents
(b) Because they were conscience-stricken
(c) Because they had already learnt horse-riding
(d) Because the horse had caught disease
Ans: (b) Because they were conscience-stricken
III. “A suspicious man would believe his eyes instead of his heart.” This line suggests that
(a) John Byro suspected Mourad of stealing the horse
(b) John Byro was sure that it was his horse
(c) John Byro had complete faith that they had not stolen the horse
(d) None of the above
Ans: (c) John Byro had complete faith that they had not stolen the horse
IV. Identify the noun form of the adjective “suspicious” from the following:
(a) Suspect (b)Suspicion (c) Suspension (d) Suspection
Ans: (b) Suspicion
2. Bring out the peculiarity in the character of Uncle Khosrove. Cite instances from the text.
Ans: Uncle Khosrove was a peculiar character who had a crazy streak in him. He was always irritated with
everything and lost his temper easily. Once his house was on fire and his son came running to him to the
113
barber’s shop where his father was having his moustache trimmed. But he paid no serious attention to
it and roared, “It is no harm, pay no attention to it.” When John Byro came to his house and lamented
his stolen horse, he became irritated and walked out of the room after arguing with him that why he was
crying over a horse when people have lost their homelands. Even after that, when Byro came to share
the happy news that he had got his horse back, Uncle Khosrove once again roared at him, “Quiet man
quiet. Your horse has been returned. Pay no attention to it.”
3. Do you think John Byro recognised his horse? If yes, why did he not accuse the boys?
Ans: Yes, John Byro definitely recognised his horse when he met the boys while they were returning with
the stolen horse. He asked its name and examined its teeth and was fully sure that it was his horse. Yet
he told the boys that it was impossible that the horse was his as he knew the special trait of the
Garoghlanian tribe who can never steal or commit any act of dishonesty. He did not blame the boys
despite knowing that they had stolen the horse nor did he complain about them to anyone. He only
mentioned their family’s honour. This had the desired impact on the boys and they felt guilty and
conscience-stricken. The next day they returned the horse secretly to John Byro.
THE ADDRESS
`The Address` is a touching story which is a tale of war. It narrates two situations – one before the
Liberation of the Jews from the Nazi rule and the other after it, in the post war period. It revolves around
the young daughter of Mrs. S, who in good faith allows her acquaintance and old time ‘friend’, Mrs.
Dorling to carry away all the table silver (cutlery) and precious old things to her own house for
safekeeping. The narrator during her first home coming notices many things missing. When she comes
back home the second time, she sees Mrs. Dorling taking away a heavy suitcase. She is also told by her
mother to remember the address of Mrs. Dorling.
After the Liberation, normalcy returns. The narrator meanwhile has lost her mother to the War.
She feels like seeing and touching their things. She goes to the address, Number 46, Marconi Street, to
see Mrs. Dorling. There she gets a very cold reception from her and is not allowed to come inside. This
114
shows the selfish nature of the self-claimed ‘saviour’ of Mrs. S. When the narrator tries for the second
time, Mrs. Dorling’s daughter unknowingly invites her in. The narrator is sad to see all her mother’s
precious articles kept in an untidy room in a tasteless manner. She finally decides not to recover them.
She even resolves to forget the address.
The story tells us how war affects the lives of the civilians, as well. It disturbs the normal life and
leads to conflicts and tensions. The narrator loses her interest in her old things because they evoke the
memories of her former life and make her nostalgic. Moreover, the articles now have new unpleasant
memories associated with Mrs. Dorling and her passive aggressive behaviour towards the narrator.
Questions:
i). The statement ‘The woman looked at me searchingly’ means that ________________________
Ans: The woman looked at her face with curious eyes./ The woman looked intently at her, trying to
recognize her.
ii). When the author says – ‘Her face gave absolutely no sign of recognition’, it means that
a. She actually did not recognize the narrator.
b. She had completely forgotten about Mrs. S.
c. She cunningly pretended to not recognize the narrator
d. She had a weak memory now.
Ans: c. She cunningly pretended to not recognize the narrator
2. I was home for a few days and it struck me immediately that something or the other about the
rooms had changed. I missed various things. My mother was surprised I should have noticed so quickly.
Then she told me about Mrs. Dorling. I had never heard of her but apparently she was an old
acquaintance of my mother whom she hadn’t seen for years. She had suddenly turned up and renewed
their contact. Since the she had come regularly.
Questions:
i). The expression ‘suddenly turned up’ means _________________.
a. materialized
b. became visible
c. paid a visit
d. called up
Ans: c. paid a visit
115
ii). What does ‘it struck me immediately’ mean?
Ans: It means the narrator immediately realized or she could immediately observe that things were
amiss.
iii). Choose the expression which means the same as ‘renewed their contact’?
a. revived her acquaintance with Mrs. S. b. recalled their friendship
c. restructured their relations. d. telephoned Mrs. S
Ans: a. revived her acquaintance with Mrs. S.
iv). The long lost woman renewed her contact with Mrs. S because ________________________
a. She was genuinely concerned
b. She was waiting for an opportune moment to take her valuables away
c. She didn’t have their present address
d. She was looking for all her old contacts
Ans: b. She was waiting for an opportune moment to take her valuables away
3. I didn’t want to upset myself with the sight of streets and houses full of memories from a
precious time. In the train back I saw Mrs. Dorling in front of me again as I had the first time I met her.
Questions:
i). What do ‘memories from a precious time’ refer to for the narrator?
Ans: This phrase refers to the time before the war when the narrator’s family was well to do and were
living comfortably. They had things that other people coveted. Most importantly she had her mother
with her at that time.
ii). Why did the sight of streets and houses upset her?
a. They reminded her of her poor house.
b. The houses and streets had changed for the worse.
c. She felt nostalgic about her peaceful life before the war.
d. Everything had changed for the better.
Ans: c. She felt nostalgic about her peaceful life before the war.
iii). Why does the author say that ‘I saw Mrs. Dorling in front of me again…’?
a. She had recently seen Mrs. Dorling again
b. She was recalling her memories
c. Mrs. Dorling was sitting in the opposite seat
d. The narrator was hallucinating
Ans: b. She was recalling her memories
iv). The narrator met Mrs. Dorling for the first time in the train. True/False?
Ans: False.
4. But gradually everything became more normal again. Bread was getting to be a lighter colour,
there was a bed you could sleep in unthreatened, a room with a view you were more used to glancing
at each day. And one day I noticed I was curious about all the possessions that must still be at that
address. I wanted to see them, touch them, remember.
Questions:
i). What does it mean by ‘Bread was getting to be a lighter colour’?
Ans: life was returning to normal, the food quality was getting better. The people, especially the Jews
in hiding, were starting to get better food after the war had ended.
116
ii). ‘Sleep in unthreatened’ means ______________________
a. There were no other people pushing you off your bed.
b. There was no one disturbing you at night.
c. You could sleep in peace because the war had ended.
d. There was nobody knocking at your door.
Ans: c. You could sleep in peace because the war had ended.
iii). Why was the narrator suddenly ‘curious’ about her family’s belongings one fine day?
Ans:The narrator was curious about her family’s belongings as she wanted to remember the life they
had before the war. She wanted to feel the connection again to her mother as the things were
associated with her mother.
iv). The room didn’t have a view earlier because the __________________________
Ans:windows were covered with black-out paper because the Jews were trying to hide from the Nazi
forces.
2. How did the narrator and Mrs. Dorling recognize one another?
Ans: The narrator knocked at the address that her mother gave her. Mrs. Dorling recognized her when
the narrator declared that she was Mrs. S’s daughter. She even asked her how she had come back alive
from the war. The narrator, on the other hand, recognized the green cardigan that Mrs. Dorling was
wearing, it had belonged to her mother. That assured her that she was at the right address.
3. Who was Mrs. Dorling? How did she rob or cheat Mrs. S of all her antiques and silver?
Ans: Mrs. Dorling was an old acquaintance of Mrs. S., the narrator’s mother. As readers we come to
know right away that they were not very close as the narrator had not heard her name at all. She had
turned up abruptly during the war with the promise to keep all the valuable things safe in her house. She
won the confidence of the naive Mrs. S and carried away everything to her own house. She took
advantage of her to acquire all the things for herself.
4. Why did Mrs. S allow Mrs. Dorling to take away all her precious things to her house? Why didn’t
the narrator object to it in time?
Ans: Mrs. S was of Jewish origin. During the War all the Jews were being evacuated from the country,
either by the Nazi army to the concentration camps or by the well-wishers to safety. There was no
security of life and safety. Mrs. S was a wealthy woman. She allowed Mrs. Dorling to take away all her
117
silver and antique things for safe-keeping so that once her family returns, they will be able to get all their
belongings back. The narrator could not prevent it because she usually came home only during holidays.
5. How did the narrator discover for certain that the woolen table cloth was her's?
Ans: During her second visit to Number 46, Marconi Street, she was led inside by Mrs. Dorling’s daughter.
As she seated herself, she noticed the woolen table cloth. It was hers. She remembered that there was
a burn mark on the edge which was never repaired. She ran her fingers on it and found it.
6. Why did the narrator leave Mrs. Dorling’s house in such a hurry?
Ans: The narrator had a painful experience on her first visit to Marconi Street. She got a very cold
welcome. But she could not help paying a second visit. She felt oppressed to see her things there. All her
mother’s antiques and precious silver and artefacts were kept tastelessly in a small and musty room.
Suddenly all those familiar things lost their value for her. She did not want to see dishonest Mrs. Dorling
again. So she left the house in a hurry.
7. If the address of Mrs. Dorling was correct, why did the narrator resolve to forget it?
Ans: The narrator visited Mrs. Dorling’s house a second time. The narrator had no desire to get all her
things back. The address was correct but she lost interest in those stored things. The things held
importance as they were associated with her mother but the war had taken her mother away. Now
newer, more unpleasant memories had attached themselves with those things. Moreover, her rented
room was too small for them. So she made up her mind to forget the things, as well as, the address of
Mrs. Dorling.
1. Discuss the aptness and significance of the title of the story, ‘The Address’.
Ans: The address is a tale of war. The narrator is a young girl probably studying at the University. She
comes home during holidays. Her mother in her absence meets her old acquaintance, Mrs. Dorling. She
allows her to take away all her silver and antiques for safe-keeping in her own house. She asks her
daughter to remember Mrs. Dorling’s address, Marconi Street, Number 46, as there is a hope of
returning home and that after the war they can get the things back. The narrator remembers the address.
At the end of the war she goes to that address but Mrs. Dorling refuses to recognize her. The narrator
goes to the same address a second time and she is led inside by the owner’s daughter. The narrator
recognizes her mother's belongings set tastelessly in a strange place. She recognizes the Hanukkah
candle holder on the way in. She also finds the burn mark on the tablecloth that was put on the table.
Her daughter shows the narrator the decorative plates and the crockery that once belonged to them.
She feels oppressed in the room as she finds familiar things in unfamiliar settings. She loses interest in
them and returns home. She resolves to forget that address forever.
2. Who was Mrs. Dorling? What did the narrator learn about her from her mother?
Ans: Mrs. Darling was an old acquaintance of Mrs. S’s, the narrator’s mother. She claimed to be her
friend but we, as readers can clearly see that even the narrator had not known her name. Mrs. Dorling
called on her old friend unexpectedly while the narrator was away, presumably for higher studies. She
won the confidence of her friend. She had her eyes on her friend’s belongings from before the war. She
must have pointed out herself that during the war time Mrs. S might lose all her silver and antiques. The
118
naïve Mrs. S was grateful when she offered to take the risk herself. In bags and suitcases, she carried
away all those things to her own house. It was then that the narrator learnt about Mrs. Dorling and her
address. During one of her visit home she remembered the address given by her mother. At the end of
the war she felt like seeing, touching and remembering her things. So she visited Mrs. Dorling’s house
but got a very cold welcome. The dishonest Mrs. Dorling kept all precious things to herself.
3. What was the narrator’s experience and reaction when she went to Mrs. Dorling’s house a
second time?
Ans: The narrator had an unpleasant experience during her first visit to Marconi Street. Mrs. Dorling
gave her a cold shoulder. But the narrator’s urge to see her things and touch them did not cool down.
She decided to try a second time. This time Mrs. Dorling’s daughter opened the door. The mother had
gone out to run errands. Her daughter led the narrator to a room inside. The narrator found herself in
the midst of familiar things which were scattered in a tasteless way all around. The sight suffocated her.
She noticed the Hanukkah candle holder and the woollen table cloth. She noticed her mother's beautiful
tea set and the silver cutlery being used by a family who does not know their importance or are not
emotionally connected to the items. Mrs. Dorling did not even know how to use those precious things.
All those things oppressed her now. She decided to leave the house at the earliest. Her things evoked
the memories of her earlier life and her connection to her mother. She was now living in a small rented
room where even the black-out paper, used during hiding from the Nazi army, had not been peeled off
till then and there was little space to put all their old things. So she made up her mind to forget her things
and also Mrs. Dorling’s address.
MOTHER’S DAY
Other Characters-
The
CyrilrealMrs
Pearson- Pearson
The son,couldn’t
spoilt, bear the drama
annoying, willfulanymore. She found her
children and husband in a miserable condition in the hands of new Mrs
George Pearson-
Pearson The husband,
(actually Mrs slow, Mrs
Fitzgerald).So, pompous,
Pearson neglects
pressedhisMrs
wife,
Fitzgerald
toAllchange back their
are surprised personalities
at her as they to
stand of refusing were
workbefore the change. It was
for them
done and Mrs Pearson was again in her old self.
24x7.
Mrs Pearson: (smiling apologetically) That’s easier said than done. Besides, I’m so fond of them even
if they are so thoughtless and selfish. They don’t mean to be ……….
Questions:
1. What does ‘I had of it’ relate to?
Ans: It refers to fortune telling.
2. What is the domestic problem that Mrs Pearson isn’t able to solve?
Ans:Mrs Pearson can’t be assertive over her family members. She suffers from her weakness to be the
mistress of her family.
3. What do you understand by the phrase ‘to put your feet down’?
a. moves out of a place forever b. gather courage to move ahead
c. takes a firm stand d. going for a walk
Ans: c. takes a firm stand
2.Mrs Fitzgerald: No doubt about it all. Who’s the better for being spoilt – grown man, lad or girl?
Nobody. You think it does ‘em good when you run after them all the time, take their orders as if you
were the servant of the house, stay at home very night while they go out enjoying themselves? Never
in all your life. It’s the ruin of them as well as you.
Questions:
1.’No doubt about it at all’…What is ‘it’ here?
121
Ans: It is Mrs. Pearson’s family which does not treat her properly. There is no doubt about it.
2.What would happen if Mrs. Pearson’s family behave as it does in the present times?
Ans: If they continue behaving like that then it would ruin them all.
3.I. Mrs Pearson thinks it won’t be morally right if she doesn’t fulfill the needs of her family.
II. Mrs. Pearson is very fond of her family.
Which one of these is correct?
a. Both are correct. b. Both are incorrect.
c. II is correct and I is incorrect. d. I is correct and ii is incorrect.
Ans: c. II is correct and I is incorrect
4.What can be the probable outcome of the behaviour of Mrs. Pearson’s family?
I. It would be a hindrance in their progress
II.It will ruin Mrs. Pearson’s life.
a. Both may happen b. None is possible
c. Only I may happen c. Only II may happen
Ans: a. Both may happen
3. Cyril: Now you shouldn’t have told him that, Mum. That’s not fair. You’ve hurt his feelings. Mine, too.
Mrs Pearson: Sometimes it does people good to have their feeling hurt. The truth oughtn’t to hurt
anybody for long. If your father didn’t go to the club so often, perhaps they’d stop laughing at him.
Cyril: (gloomily) I doubt it.
Questions:
1. What shouldn’t ‘you’ have told ‘him’ what?
Ans: It means Mrs. Pearson shouldn’t have told her husband that he is laughed at the club by mother
club members.
II. Mrs Pearson spoke the truth to hurt them because she herself was treated badly by the family.
a. only I is correct b. Only II is correct
c. Both are incorrect d. Neither is correct.
Ans: a. only I is correct
4.’Sometimes it does …for long.’ What are Mrs. Pearson’s motive behind behind this?
a. To get her husband’s prestige back. b. To take revenge
c. To teach a lesson to her family d. None of these.
Ans: a. To get her husband’s prestige back.
4. Mrs Pearson: (impatiently) What does it matter? Your name’s George, isn’t it? Who `do you think
you are - Duke of Edinburgh?
George: (angrily) What’s he got to do with? Just tell me that. And isn’t it bad enough without her
calling me George? No tea. Pompy-Ompy Pearson. And poor Doris has been crying her eyes out
upstairs --- yes, crying her eyes out.
122
Questions:
1.What is ‘it’ here in ‘What does it matter?
Ans: It here refers to the idea of Mrs Pearson calling George by his name.
4.I.The only reason behind George’s anger is his wife calling him by his name.
II.George is angry only because his wife made him realize the club members’ behavior towards him.
a. only I is correct b. Only II is correct
c. Both are correct d. Neither is correct.
Ans:d. Neither is correct.
5.Mrs Fitzgerald: Mrs Fitzgerald, we must change back now – we really must ….
Mrs Pearson: (rising) why?
Mrs Fitzgerald: Because this has gone far enough. I can see they are all miserable – and I can’t hear it
…..
Mrs Pearson: A bit more of the same would do ‘em good. Making a great difference already – (She
moves to right of the table and sits.)
Mrs. Fitzgerald: No, I can’t stand any more of it – I really can’t. We must change back. Hurry up,
please,Mrs Fitzgerald.
Questions:
1.’Because this had gone far enough ‘What is ‘this’ here?
Ans: ‘This’ here is the interchange of both the women to reform Mrs Pearson’s wayward family.
Ans: MrsFitzgerald is actually Mrs Pearson. Being a soft hearted and merciful woman she doesn’t want
that her family is snubbed more like this.
4.What character trait is seen of Mrs Pearson in her saying to Mrs Fitzgerald that she can’t stand more
of what both women have done?
a.Docility b. A real mother c. a sacrificing woman. A plain and simple hearted woman.
123
Ans: d. A plain and simple hearted woman.
1.What picture of Mrs Pearson do you form in the opening of the play and why? Do you find
Some change in her at the end?
Ans: Mrs Pearson appears to be a timidand confused lady. She is in her forties. She is a devoted
housewife who enjoys serving her husband and children. She is ignored by all in the family. In spite of
their ill treatment, neglect and exploitation, she loves them all.However,Mrs Fitzgerald brings about a
change in her personality in the end. She helps her become an assertive and bold personality.
2.How did Mrs. Fitzgerald utilize her husband’s posting in the East?
Answer. Mrs. Fitzgerald’s husband was stationed in the East (British colonies in Asia) for a period of
twelve years. She made the most of her time there by learning fortune telling and magic spells to
exchange personalities. She used this knowledge to help her resolve family problems by temporarily
exchanging her strong personality for Mrs. Annie Pearson’s weak personality.
5.How does Mrs Pearson take her husband to task? How do people laugh at him at the club?
Ans: George Pearson is a self-important and pompous person. He is called as PompyOmpy Pearson by
all in the club. People make fun of his pompous nature. MrsPearson(actuallyMrs Fitzgerald) ridicules
him. He loses his temper and glares at her helplessly. At one time Mrs Pearson threatens to slap his ‘big
fat silly face’. He reconciles in the end.
1.How did Mrs. Fitzgerald help Mrs. Pearson to realize her value in the family?
Ans: Mrs Fitzgerald was an older woman who was strong, bold, aggressive and independent. She knew
fortune telling and witchcraft too. One day she was called by her neighbor Mrs Pearson to see her
fortune. She told Mrs Pearson that her fortune was neither good nor bad but would depend on her. Mrs
Pearson was a beautiful woman in her mid-forties who was constantly worried about her family. She
knew her husband and children did not care for her much but couldn’t say anything. Mrs Fitzgerald
understood this and stated that she could help by switching bodies with her. After doing so, Mrs
Fitzgerald, confined in the body of Mrs Pearson, started to behave rudely with the family members. She
124
refused to obey them but made them realise how dependent they were on her. . Her sudden change in
behaviour surprised her family, and slowly they got used to her aggressive behaviour.. Then she again
switched her body with Mrs Pearson and entered her own body. She advised Mrs Pearson to behave
firmly with her family; otherwise, they would disrespect her again. Mrs Pearson obeyed this, and her
family members also realised this and gave her the respect and dignity she deserved.
2.Give your brief comments on the five main characters in the play Mother’s Day.
Ans. Mother’s Day is a witty and satirical take on a depressing family drama. It addresses the issue of a
mother’s and wife’s status in the family. There are five characters in total in the play. Mrs Fitzgerald is a
powerful woman who is aggressive and demanding. Mrs Pearson, her next-door neighbor, is the polar
opposite of her. She is devoted to her husband and children. She makes no demands: she does not dare
to offend anyone, but she secretly resents their behavior. Her husband George is conceited, selfish, and
the center of attention at the club. Cyril, her son, is a young man, and Doris, her daughter. Both work in
an office.
They come home in the evening, demand tea and ironed clothes so that they can go out again. All the
three are self-centered. They neglect Mrs Pearson who is all docile, motherly and submissive.
3.“The shock treatment makes the thoughtless and selfish persons realize the real position of the lady
of the house.” How far do you agree with the statement? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: I completely agree with the preceding statement. Drastic measures are required in extreme
situations. The Pearson family’s thoughtless, selfish, and spoilt members do not understand the language
of love and affection. Mrs Pearson, with Mrs Fitzgerald’s bold and domineering personality and
toughness, awakens them to their own predicament. Doris is the first to learn the importance of civility
and courtesy. Her boyfriend’s criticism comes as a surprise to her, perhaps even more so than her orders
to iron the yellow silk dress. Doris has tearful eyes. Cyril is also instructed to assist himself. The mother’s
declaration that she, too, will now work forty hours a week, take weekends off, and go somewhere fun
comes as a surprise.
Her husband’s ego is punctured when she tells him how people at the club make fun of him. Finally, all
three members gather and express their willingness to obey the mother’s command.
BIRTH
GIST OF THE LESSON:
The lesson is about a young medical graduate called Dr. Andrew Manson working in a small mining town
of Blaenelly. While returning from a terrible evening with his girlfriend Christine, he comes across Joe
Morgan who approaches him to help his wife for her safe delivery. Dr. Andrew has to put lot of efforts
in the delivery as the mother requires most attention to be revived. Moreover, the newborn baby was
not breathing after birth. The young doctor remembers about a particular technique of revival of the still
born child. At last, his frantic effort succeeds in giving a new lease of life to the child and the baby cries.
With this comes a sense of achievement in his heart.
FLOW CHART
➢ Dr. Andrew Manson reached his apartmen tBryngower where he met Joe Morgan.
➢ Joe Morgan urged for his help in the delivery of his wife’s first child.
➢ Andrew was not energetic as he had a broken relationship with his friend Christine that day.
➢ They reached the door of Number 12
➢ In the room upstairs everyone was waiting for the labour pain.
➢ Morgan’s wife was desperate for a baby as they had been childless for the last twenty years.
125
➢ After a hard struggle the baby was born but it was lifeless.
➢ The doctor was in a dilemma as whether to revive the child first or save the mother who was
almost pulseless.
➢ Instinctively he gave the child to the midwife who put it beneath the bed.
➢ After a few minutes of struggle, her heart strengthened.
➢ Now the doctor asked for the child.
➢ He knew it was the case of Asphyxia pallida and he immediately thought about a technique.
➢ At last, he could bring it back to life.
➢ Andrew felt a sense of achievement within.
ANSWERS:
i. d
ii. Morbidly
iii. He recalled about people he knew like Bramwell who was deceived by a woman he loved or
Edward Page who lived an unhappy life apart from his wife. Andrew felt that most marriages were
absolute failures. He was resentful thinking about Christine.
Q2. “Susan said not to give her the chloroform if it would harm the baby. She’s awful set upon this child,
Doctor, bach.” Her old eyes warmed at a sudden thought. She added in a low tone: “Ay, we all are, I
fancy.” He collected himself with an effort. “It won’t do any harm, the anesthetic,” he said kindly. “They’ll
be all right.”
i. Who was Susan? Choose the right answer. 1 mark
a. Dr. Andrew’s wife
b. Joe Morgan’s wife
c. Morgan’s mother
d. The mid-wife
ii. Find a word which suggest a medicine that leads to insensibility. 1 mark
iii. Why were all the Morgans worried? 1 mark
iv. What is your opinion about Morgan’s mother? 1 mark
v.
ANSWERS:
i. b
ii. Anaesthetic
126
iii. They were all worried as Morgan’s wife was going to deliver her first child after a gap of
twenty years.
iv. She was wise and concerned about her daughter-in-law. She could see listlessness in the
doctor.
Q3. “As he gazed at the still form a shiver of horror passed over Andrew. After all, that he had
promised! His face, heated with his own exertions, chilled suddenly. He hesitated, torn between his
desire to attempt to resuscitate the child, and his obligation towards the mother, who was herself in
a desperate state. The dilemma was so urgent he did not solve it consciously. Blindly, instinctively, he
gave the child to the nurse and turned his attention to Susan Morgan who now lay collapsed, almost
pulseless, and not yet out of the ether, upon her side.”
i. How was the child born? Choose the right answer. 1 mark
a. Lively
b. Blind
c. Stillborn
d. Limbless
ii. Find a word which suggest to restore consciousness. 1 mark
iii. What was Andrew’s dilemma? 2 marks
ANSWERS:
i. c
ii. Resuscitate
iii. Andrew was in a dilemma as whether to give treatment to the stillborn child or give attention
to the new mother who was losing her pulse. His obligation towards the mother led him to hand over
the baby to the nurse instinctively and injecting a medicine to the mother against her ebbing strength.
Q4. “And then, as by a miracle, the pigmy chest, which his hands enclosed, gave a short, convulsive
heave, another… and another… Andrew turned giddy. The sense of life, springing beneath his fingers
after all that unavailing striving, was so exquisite it almost made him faint. He redoubled his efforts
feverishly. The child was gasping now, deeper and deeper. A bubble of mucus came from one tiny
nostril, a joyful iridescent bubble. The limbs were no longer boneless. The head no longer lay back
spinelessly. The blanched skin was slowly turning pink. Then, exquisitely, came the child’s cry.”
i. How did Andrew feel when the baby gave a short convulsive heave? Choose the right
Answer. 1 mark
a. He turned giddy
b. He was angry for all his unsuccessful attempts
c. He was feeling all hopeless
d. None of the above
ii. Find the word which means sparkling in the passage. 1 mark
iii. Describe the baby’s coming back to life. 2 marks
ANSWERS:
i. a
ii. Iridescent
127
iii. At first the baby gave a short convulsive heave. It was gasping deeper and deeper. A bubble of
mucus came from one tiny nostril. The limbs were no longer boneless. The head became stronger and
skin turned pink. At last, it cried.
Q5. “It was quite light. Nearly five o’clock. A few miners were already in the streets: the first of the
night shift moving out. As Andrew walked with them, spent and slow, his footfalls echoing with the
others under the morning sky, he kept thinking blindly, oblivious to all other work he had done in
Blaenelly, “I’ve done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.”
i. What made Andrew to be on the street early morning that day? Choose the correct answer.
1mark
a. He was devasted by his break up from her lover
b. He was coming after his night shift in the mine
c. He was going for a morning walk
d. He was returning after helping a mother give a successful delivery
ii. The word ‘oblivious’ means 1 mark
a. Hidden
b. Failing to remember
c. Feeling hopeless
d. None of the above
iii. “I’ve done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.” Why did he think so? 2 marks
ANSWERS:
i. d
ii. b
iii. Dr. Andrew was able to bring an almost stillborn child back to life. He was feeling a sense of great
achievement which he has never felt before. Though he must have given treatment to many patients
before but it was the first time he could bring happiness to Joe Morgan’s family who was expecting their
first baby.
Q1. That night proved unusual and it influenced Dr Andrew’s whole future in Blaenelly. What
miraculous thing happened that night?
Answer:Dr. Andrew had first begun his medical practice in the mining town of Blaenelly. The successful
handling of Mrs. Joe’s case proved a turning point in his life. It was no less than a miracle that he had
restored life in a stillborn child by dipping it in cold and warm water alternately. It was a sense of great
achievement for him which gave him name and fame.
Q4. Why was Dr. Andrew in a state of conflict when the child was born?
Answer: Dr. Andrew was in a state of conflict as he was torn between two thoughts. He was anxious
for the new mother who was losing her pulse soon and on the other hand the child was born lifeless
and it needed his urgent attention.
Q5.Comment on the behavior and role of the midwife attending Susan Morgan.
Answer. The midwife demonstrated a lack of experience and a professional demeanor. She
immediately declared that the baby was stillborn. She tucked it beneath the bed. Even when Andrew
was attempting to resuscitate the baby, she expressed her disbelief and even discouraged Andrew
from continuing his feverish efforts. Her joy was heightened by the baby’s cry.
Answer: Andrew, the protagonist of the story ‘Birth’, utters these words as he is able to bring a still born
child back to life which seemed impossible in the beginning. The child is born still to the wife of
Joe Morgan. But after great efforts Andrew is able to bring the child back to the life. He utters these
words out of deep satisfaction on achieving the seemingly impossible task. It means that Andrew has
been able to do something wonderful. He has been able to apply whatever he learnt in the medical
textbooks and even beyond that. It is really a sense of great achievement for Andrew. Though he might
have done treatment to patients in his town before but it is the first case where he gets the maximum
contentment of making a family happy. He not only gives a new life to the young mother and the child
but he also keeps the trust of a family.
Q2. Why was Andrew so emotionally attached to his efforts to bring the lifeless baby back to life?
Answer: Dr. Andrew knew the family of Joe Morgan who was expecting their first child. Susan, Joe’s wife
who had been in her middle age could not have an issue for twenty years. Andrew had assured the
couple of no complication. Everyone in Joe Morgan’s family were eagerly waiting for a baby. Susan did
not want to get the anesthesia as she thought it would harm her baby. Joe was anxiously waiting
downstairs. His mother of around seventy was desperate to see the child while being concerned for her
daughter-in- law. When the stillborn baby was born, it took away all his joys but with his undaunted
efforts he could bring back both the dying mother and the lifeless baby to life.
He went beyond his theoretical knowledge and made impossible possible. It was not only his knowledge
but he had solved the case with a do-and-die spirit.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
1. Do you feel that modern day doctors are rather mechanical medical machines without human
emotions? Or it is rather a prejudiced opinion about these professionals who are also considered
human gods?
2. Justify the title ‘Birth`.
MAIN POINTS:
Introduction to the King's Decision:
● In the city of Melon City, a just and placid King decides to construct an arch over the major
thoroughfare.
Construction Mishap:
● However, the arch is built too low, and the King loses his crown while passing under it. He becomes
angry and blames the chief builder.
Blame Game:
130
● The blame shifts to the workmen, then the masons, and finally the architect. The King orders the
hanging of the architect.
Seeking Counsel:
● The King seeks advice from the wisest man in the country, who suggests hanging the arch itself.
Public Outcry:
● The people demand immediate punishment, so the King decides to hang someone immediately to
satisfy them.
The King's Fate:
● The noose is set high, and the only one tall enough to fit is the King himself. He is hanged by royal
decree.
Melon Becomes King:
● In a practical move, the ministers declare that the next person to pass through the city gate will
choose the ruler. An idiot passing by chooses a melon.
Acceptance of the Melon King:
● The people accept the melon as their new King, as long as it maintains peace and liberty.
Conclusion:
● The poem ends with the acceptance of the melon as the ruler, showcasing the absurdity of blind
adherence to tradition and the principles of laissez faire in governance.
LITERARY DEVICES:
Irony:
● The King, known for his love of justice, ends up being unjustly hanged by his own decree.
Satire:
● The entire poem satirizes the absurdity of blind adherence to tradition and irrational decision-making
in governance.
Hyperbole:
● Example: "The arch was built too low. A frown appeared upon his placid face."
● Explanation: The exaggeration of the King's reaction emphasizes his disproportionate response,
highlighting his irrationality.
Personification:
● Example: "The arch was led to the scaffold."
● Explanation: Personification adds vividness to the scene, enhancing the satirical tone.
Symbolism:
● Example: The melon represents arbitrary rule and the absurdity of governance based on tradition.
● Explanation: The melon symbolizes the consequences of blindly following customs.
Paradox:
● Example: "If His Majesty rejoice in being a melon, that’s OK with us, for who are we to say what he
should be as long as he leaves us in Peace and Liberty?"
● Explanation: This statement contains a paradox, highlighting the acceptance of absurdity for the sake
of peace and liberty.
Parallelism:
● Example: "Long live the King! The King is dead."
● Explanation: This parallel structure emphasizes the ironic reversal of fortune.
Sarcasm:
131
● Example: "Thank Goodness we found someone, for if instead we had not, the unruly town might well
have turned against the Crown."
● Explanation: This statement is sarcastic, implying relief at having a scapegoat to blame.
1. What is the primary reason the people are content with their king being a melon?
132
a) They are afraid of challenging the king.
b) They value peace and liberty over the king's identity.
c) They believe a melon makes wise decisions.
d) They are indifferent to who the king is.
2. Assertion (A):The people question the king's identity.
Reason (R):The people are dissatisfied with the governance.
a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c) A is true, but R is false.
d) A is false, but R is true.
3. Which literary device is used in the line "The principles of laissez faire Seem to be well-established
there"?
a) Hyperbole b) Irony
c) Satire d) Personification
4. How does the phrase "for who are we to say What he should be" contribute to the overall theme of
the story?
a) It highlights the citizens' respect for traditional roles.
b) It underscores the indifference and apathy of the citizens.
c) It emphasizes the democratic values of the society.
d) It shows the citizens' fear of the king's power.
Answers
A) 1.c) The public desires a spectacle.
Explanation: The phrase suggests that the public's desire for a hanging is driven by the need
for a dramatic resolution rather than a true sense of justice
2.a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Explanation: The assertion is true because the noose was indeed set up high to measure the
height of the people involved. The reason is also true because the purpose of setting the noose
high was to find the tallest person who fit it.
3.a) Satire
Explanation: The phrase employs satire to critique the disregard for justice in favor of
immediate action
4.c) It indicates the absurdity of the selection method.
Explanation: The detail indicates the absurdity of the selection method, as people were
measured rather than judged by their actions
B) 1.b) They value peace and liberty over the king's identity.
Explanation: The people prioritize peace and liberty, indicating their acceptance as long as
these values are maintained
2.c) A is true, but R is false.
Explanation: The assertion is true as they question the identity, but the reason is false because
their questioning does not stem from dissatisfaction.
3.b) Irony
Explanation: The line uses irony to highlight the absurdity of a melon king being accepted
under the guise of laissez-faire principles.
133
4.b) It underscores the indifference and apathy of the citizens.
Explanation: The phrase underscores the indifference and apathy of the citizens towards who
holds power as long as their own lives are not disrupted
1. How did the king save his own skin when the architect turned the accusing finger at him?
Value Points:
● The King admitted his mistake in amending the plans
● He sought counsel from the wisest man
● The King avoided direct punishment by making a broader decision
2. In what ways might the story's ending be different if the citizens had demanded a competent ruler?
Value Points:
● Potential for effective governance
● increased accountability
● potential conflicts in establishing new leadership
● impact on societal values of peace and liberty
● exploration of civic responsibility.
3. What is the significance of the "customary choice" in selecting the melon as king?
Value Points:
● Reflects the arbitrary and ritualistic nature of governance in Melon City
● demonstrates the people's indifference to effective leadership as long as peace and
liberty are maintained.
1. How does "The Tale of Melon City" illustrate the theme of justice and its complexities?
Value points:
● Initial portrayal of the King as just and placid.
● The blame-shifting among various parties (builders, workmen, masons, architect).
● The King's decision to seek advice from the wisest man.
● The absurdity of the solution to hang the arch.
● The ultimate decision to hang the King himself due to the crowd's unrest.
● The appointment of a melon as the new ruler, reflecting the absurdity of the justice system.
134
2. Analyze the satirical elements in "The Tale of Melon City" and discuss how they contribute to the story's
message.
Value Points:
● Satire on bureaucratic inefficiency and the arbitrary nature of authority.
● Absurdity in the chain of blame and the final decision to hang the King.
● The portrayal of the populace's indifference towards effective governance.
● Critique of blind obedience to tradition (appointing a melon as King).
● Commentary on the superficiality of leadership and justice.
3.Compare the decision-making processes of the King in "The Tale of Melon City" and the narrator in "The
Address" from Snapshots. How do their decisions impact their respective outcomes?
Value Points:
● Impulsiveness vs Deliberation:
○ The King: Makes impulsive decisions, quickly shifting blame, leading to chaotic
outcomes.
○ Narrator: Deliberates and reflects before visiting her mother’s belongings, leading to
personal closure.
● External Influence vs Internal Reflection:
○ The King: Influenced by external advice and public sentiment, resulting in illogical
decisions.
○ Narrator: Relies on internal reflection, showing independence in confronting her past.
● Impact on Self and Others:
○ The King: His poor decision-making affects the entire kingdom, leading to his downfall.
○ Narrator: Her thoughtful decision fosters personal growth and understanding.
○
For practice:
4.Compare the leadership styles of the King in "The Tale of Melon City" and Gordon Cook in "We're Not Afraid
to Die... if We Can All Be Together" from Hornbill. How do their approaches to crisis management reflect their
personalities?
5.Evaluate the effectiveness of the King's leadership in "The Tale of Melon City." What qualities or lack
thereof led to his downfall?
6.Thomas Jefferson said “The government you elect is the government you deserve”. The statement
describes the importance of public voting. Based on your reading of the poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’,
elucidate the statement.
135
been a rise in the occurrence levels. Earlier heart Attacks were not common
among youth in the age group of 30 to 45 years One of the primary reasons for
the rise in incidence of heart attack is because people here are genetically more
vulnerable to heart ailments than the rest of the world. Another significant reason
which contributes to increased risk of heart attacks among the youth is the
unhealthy lifestyles.
There has been a change in food habits, increase in stress levels, drastically
changed living patterns with sedentary habits and erratic sleep. All this clubbed
with a predisposition to heart attacks can further increase the risk. Other equally
contributory factors to heart attack risk are smoking, obesity, diabetes,
hypertension, and of course, a family history. The onset of heart attack can be
detected with a few visible warning signs like chest discomfort while walking,
and/or shortness of breath etc. But it is important to note that many heart-attacks
can be silent without any symptoms or forewarning.
Although people who are genetically predisposed to heart attacks cannot actually
reverse the risk, they can make amends by trying to lead a sensible life style by
making a few modifications in their food and exercise habits. One of the most
important preventive measures is to stop smoking. Since work related stress is
common among the youth today, it is another vital reason to trigger heart attacks.
Youth should learn to de-stress and relax more often. Unhealthy food habits and
a sedentary life style can lead to obesity and a chain of other problems. Working
out or adopting a disciplined exercise regimen can help in keeping weight in
check. Brisk walking is another very good option. Everybody should follow a
regular health screening to rule out
diabetes and hypertension, and do a stress test, undergo a lipid profile test and
check their body mass index regularly.
(i)On the basis of your reading of the passage make notes using at least four
recognizable abbreviations. Give a suitable title to the passage too. 5M
(ii) Write a summary of the passage in about 50 words. 3M
Section: B (Grammar & Writing Skills) 23 Marks
142
6 You want to sell your newly built house in Pratap Nagar Society of Jaipur. Draft a 1x1= 3M
suitable advertisement in not more than 50 words to be published in the
classified column of a local newspaper. Give all the necessary details.
OR
Delhi Public School Noida, requires PGT Maths and TGT English. On behalf of the
school principal draft a suitable advertisement for the same to be published in a
local newspaper in not more than 50 words.
7 You are the president of the City Environment Club. Your club wants to start a 1X3=3M
campaign ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’. Draft a suitable poster in not more than 50
words to spread awareness against the use of plastic bags among the general
public.
OR
Road rage is on the rise. To make the people aware of the road safety
measures, draft a poster on behalf of the traffic police of your city
Ahmadabad.
8 You are Somesh /Soumita of St. John School, Jamnagar. AS the head 1X5= 5M
boy/girl of the school, you want to express your concern regarding
increasing consumerism and exploitation of mother nature. Write a speech to
be delivered in the morning assembly on the topic ’The Only Way to Save Earth
is to Control our Needs’. (120-150 words)
OR
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is gaining momentum in the country. In order to spread
the message and to motivate your school mates to be a part of it, write a speech
to be delivered in the morning assembly on the topic ‘Cleanliness is next to
Godliness’. You are Prakash/Prakshita. (120-150 words)
9 School should eliminate dress code/uniform. Write a debate either in favour or 1X5-5M
against the motion. You are Kamana/Kailash of Spring Dale Public School Pune.
(120-150 words)
OR
‘Schools should allow students to use mobile phones in class rooms. As the
Sports Captain of your school KV No.1 Bhuj, write the debate either in support
of the topic or against the topic.
Section:C (Literature) 31 Marks
10 Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: 1x3=3M
Any One
Then sleek as a lizard and alert and abrupt,
She enters the thickness and a machine starts up
143
(C)Explain ‘machine starts up’.
OR
I know nothing of him
So try to build up a relationship
From how when he was small
11 Read the given passages and answer the questions that follow: Any 1x3=3M
One.
She hobbled about the house in spotless white with one hand resting on her
waist to balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of the rosary. Her
silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale face, and her lips constantly
moved in inaudible prayer. Yes she was beautiful. She was like the winter
landscape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace
and contentment.
(a) ‘Silver locks’ in the above lines refer to
i. Lock made of silver
ii. Hair
iii. Wound of white colour
iv. None of these
(b) ‘She’ in the above lines is compared to
i. Winter landscape in the mountains
ii. Pale face
iii. Inaudible prayers
iv. Peace and contentment
(c) How did she use to hobble in the house?
OR
As hills started to pull up once more from the rocky wilderness, we passed
solitary drokbas tending their flocks. Sometimes men, sometimes women, these
well-wrapped figures would pause and stare at our car, occasionally waving as
we passed.
OR
The noose was set up somewhat high.
Each man was measured by and by.
But only one man was so tall
He fitted. One man. That was all
13 Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words. Any two 2x3=6M
i.Give a brief description of the narrator’s boat. How had the narrator
equipped and tested it?
ii. How is the rain described in the poem, ‘The voice of the rain’?
iii. How had king Tut been lavished with royals when he was buried?
iv. Where was Khan Sahib going? How did he intend to reach there?
14. Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words. Any one 1x3=3M
i.Why did Mourad wake up Aram? How did Aram react to what he saw?
ii. Mrs Fitzgerald was a confident woman. Do you agree? Why/Why not?
146
Section: A (Reading) 26Marks
1 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: 1x10M
1. The art of living is learnt easily by those who are positive and optimistic. From
humble and simple people to great leaders in history, science or literature, we
can learn a lot about the art of living, by having a peep into their lives. The daily
routines of these great men and women not only reveal their different, may be
unique lifestyles but also help us learn certain habits and practices they followed.
Here are some; read, enjoy and follow in their footsteps as it suits you.
2. A private workplace always helps. Jane Austen asked that a certain squeaky
hinge should never be oiled so that she always had a warning whenever someone
was approaching the room where she wrote. William Faulkner, lacking a lock on
his study door, detached the doorknob and brought it into the room with him.
Mark Twain’s family knew better than to breach his study door-they would blow
a horn to draw him out. Graham Green went even further, renting a secret office;
only his wife knew the address and the telephone number. After all, every one of
us needs a workplace where we can work on our creation uninterruptedly.
Equally we need our private space too!
3. A daily walk has always been a source of inspiration. For many artists, a regular
stroll was essentially a creative inspiration. Charles Dickens famously took three
hour walks every afternoon, and what he observed on them fed directly into his
writing. Tchaikovsky made do with a two-hour jaunt but wouldn’t return a
moment early; convinced that doing so would make him ill. Ludwig van
Beethoven took lengthy strolls after lunch, carrying a pencil and paper with him
in case inspiration struck. Nineteenth century composer Erik Satie did the same
on his long hikes from Paris to the working-class suburb where he lived, stopping
under street lamps to jot down ideas that came on his journey; it’s rumoured that
when those lamps were turned off during the war years, his music declined too.
Many great people had limited social life too. One of Simone de Beauvoir’s close
friends puts it this way. ‘‘There were no receptions, parties. It was an uncluttered
kind of life, a simplicity deliberately constructed so that she could do her work.”
To Pablo the idea of Sunday was an ‘at home day’.
4. The routines of these thinkers are difficult. Perhaps it is because they are so
unattainable. The very idea that you can organise your time as you like is out of
reach for most of us, so I’ll close with a toast to all those who worked with
difficulties. Like Francine Prose, who began writing when the school bus picked
up her children and stopped when it brought them back; or T.S. Eliot, who found
it much easier to write once he had a day job in a bank than he had as a starving
poet and even F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose early books were written in his strict
schedule as a young military officer. Those days were not as interesting as the
nights in Paris that came later, but they were much more productive–and no
doubt easier on his liver.
5. Being forced to follow someone else’s routine may irritate, but it makes it
easier to stay on the path. Whenever we break that trail ourselves or take an easy
path of least resistance, perhaps what’s most important is that we keep walking.
(i) If the writer was forced to follow someone else’s routine, they would feel
______.
(a) furious
(b) annoyed
147
(c) humoured
(d) indifferent
(ii) Why did Jane Austen believe that a certain squeaky hinge should never be
oiled?
(iii) Select the option that suitably completes the given dialogue as per the
context of the passage.
X. I don’t think I can ever be a great writer like William Faulkner.
Y. Why do you think like this? …(1)….
X. No, I don’t have weird habits and quirks like him.
Y. …(2)… you just have to give it a try.
(a) (1) Of course, you can be a good writer like him (2) That is true. But what can
you do
(b) (1) You can be better than him (2) Yeah, he was a special one
(c) (1) But, I can see that you are right (2) Yeah, you don’t have any special
mannerism
(d) (1) Sure, you can be a great writer like him. (2) That doesn’t really matter
(iv) According to the passage, why did Erik Satie’s music decline?
(v) During which time did Fitzgerald write the most productively?
(vi) What is the relationship between (1) and (2)?
(1) The people who are hopeful and have a positive outlook in life can easily
learn the art of living.
(2) A lot can be learnt about a person by looking into their lives.
(a) (2) is the cause for (1)
(b) (1) and (2) are independent
(c) (2) elaborates the problem described in (1)
(d) (2) sets the stage for (1)
(vii) According to the passage, why did some artists resort to walking?
(a) It is an exercise
(b) It was a creative inspiration
(c) It is essential for improving their health
(d) It was helpful in interaction with others
(viii) “Those days were not as interesting as the nights in Paris that came later…”
Which days are referred to in this line?
(ix) Which quote best summarises the writer’s feelings toward the artists
mentioned in the passage?
(a) Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one
– Stella Adler
(b) There is no must in art because art is free–Wassily Kandinsky
(c) Art washed away from the soul the dust of everyday life – Pablo Picasso
(d) None of the above
(x) Select the option that lists what we can conclude from the text.
1. All the artists have already learnt the art of living.
2. If one is hopeful and sanguine, one can learn the art of living.
3. One should never follow in anyone else’s footsteps.
4. By going on frequent walks, one can become a great artist.
5. Forcing a person to follow someone else’s routine can be irritating.
(a) 2, 3 and 5
148
(b) 2 and 5
(c) 1, 2 and 4
(d) l, 3 and 5
2 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: 1x8=8M
1. The charts show how much local authorities spent on a range of services in
some land in three separate years: 1980, 1990 and 2000.
2. In all three years, the greatest expenditure was on education. But while K-12
education saw a fall from 25% in 1980 to only 18% of spending in 2000, higher
education remained the largest proportion, reaching 45% of total spending in
1990 and ending at 40% in 2000.
4. Overall, higher education constituted the largest cost to local authorities, and
while spending increased for transportation and environmental services, there
were corresponding drops In expenditure on health and human resources and K-
12 education.
Based on your understanding of the passage answer any six out of the eight
questions by choosing the correct option.
1. Which of the following year is described in the chart?
(a) 1980
(b) 1990
(c) 2000
(d) All of the above
149
2. Which of the following local authority comes with the greatest expenditure?
(a) Transportation
(b) Higher Education
(c) Health and Human Resources
(d) Environmental Services
3. How many percent K-12 education
(a) 20%
(b) 40%
(c) 18%
(d) 25%
4. What was the percent rate of Health and Human Resource during 1990?
(a) 18%
(b) 45%
(c) 25%
(d) 20%
5. What was the percent rate of Transportation during 2000?
(a) 22%
(b) 6%
(c) 10%
(d) 45%
6. What was the percent rate of Environmental Services during 2000?
(a) 4%
(b) 6%
(c) 9%
(d) 7%
7. Find the synonym of ‘outlay’ in the given passage.
(a) Show
(b) Rate
(c) Expenditure
(d) Increase
8. Find the antonym of ‘enlarge’ in the given passage.
(a) Reach
(b) End
(c) Decrease
(d) Period
3 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 8Marks
1. How does television affect our lives? It can be very helpful to people who
carefully choose the shows that they watch Television can increase our
knowledge of the outside world; there are high quality programmes that help us
to understand many fields of study, science, medicine, and the arts and so on.
Moreover, television benefits very old people who can’t often leave the house, as
well as patients in hospital. It also offers non-native speakers the advantage of
daily informal language practice. They can increase their vocabulary and practice
listening.
2. On the other hand, there are several serious disadvantages to television. Of
course, it provides us with a pleasant way to relax and spend our free time, but in
some countries, people watch the ‘boob-tube’ for an average of six hours or more
a day. Many children stare at a television screen for more hours each day than
they do anything else, including studying and sleeping. It’s clear that the tube has
a powerful influence on their lives and that its influence is often negative.
3. Recent studies show that after only thirty seconds of watching television, a
person’s brain ‘relaxes’ the same way that it does just before the person falls
150
asleep. Another effect of television on the human brain is that it seems to cause
poor concentration. Children who view a lot of television can often concentrate
on a subject for only fifteen to twenty minutes. They can pay attention only for
the amount of time between commercials.
4. Another disadvantage is that television often causes people to become
dissatisfied with their own lives. Real life does not seem as exciting to these
people as the lives of actors on the screen. To many people television becomes
more real than reality and their own lives ... boring.
Also many people get upset or depressed when they can’t solve problems in real
life as quickly as television actors seem to.
5. Before a child is fourteen years old, he or she views eleven thousand murders
on the tube. He or she begins to believe that there is nothing strange about fights,
killings and other kinds of violence. Many studies show that people become more
violent after certain. Programmes. They may even do the things that they saw in
a violent show.
(i)On the basis of your reading of the passage make notes using at least four
recognizable abbreviations. Give a suitable title to the passage too. 5M
(ii) Write a summary of the passage in about 50 words. 3M
5 Rearrange the jumbled words to form a meaningful sentence: Any Two. 1x3=3M
6 You are Suresh Patel, a resident of 25 Amar society, sector 19, Gandhinagar. 1x3= 3M
You wish to sell your car bought just three years ago. Draft an advertisement
providing necessary detail for the ‘For Sale’ section of the newspaper in not
more than fifty words.
OR
Mr Rahul Shah, Resident of 123/2 Akash colony sector 12 Gandhinagar, wants
to give his newly bought flat near GIFT city on rent. Draft a classified
advertisement in not more than 50 words
7 Design a poster in not more than 50 words for your school library on the value 1x3=3M
of books and good reading habits. You may use slogans (
OR
151
You are going to contest the elections for the post of the President of the
Students’ council of your school. Design a poster in not more than 50 words
for your voters impressing upon them why they should vote for you. You may
use slogans
8 You are Virat Prajapati / Foram Parekh student of XII studying in R. K. High 1x5=5M
School Maninagar Ahmedabad. You have participated in an interhouse
Elocution Competition. The topic of the competition is “India of My Dream”.
Prepare the speech in 120 to 150 words.
OR
You are Anuj Gupta the captain of ‘Health and Well-being’ Club of your school.
You have been asked to deliver to speech on the topic ‘Importance of Sleep for
Good Health’. Write the same in 120 to 150 words
9 You are Mukul / Mahima of Alps Public School. Your school has organized a 1x5=5M
debate on “Social Media and It’s Effects and you will be participating in your
school. Prepare your views against or in favor of the motion. (120 – 150 words)
.
OR
“Academic excellence is the only requirement for a successful career.” Write a
debate either for or against the motion. (120 – 150 words).
Section: C (Literature) 31 Marks
10 1x3=3M
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
Any One
“Some twenty – thirty— years later
She’d laugh at the snapshot. “See Betty
And Dolly,” she’d say, “and look how they
Dressed us for the beach. “The sea holiday
Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.
152
And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,
Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,
11 1x3=3 M
Read the given passages and answer the questions that follow: Any
One.
With land under my feet again, my thoughts were full of Larry and Herbie,
cheerful and optimistic under the direst stress, and of Mary, who stayed at the
wheel for all those crucial hours. Most of all, I thought of a seven-year-old girl,
who did not want us to worry about a head injury (which subsequently took six
minor operations to remove a recurring blood clot between skin and skull), and
of a six-year-old boy who was not afraid to die.
153
OR
We felt sorry for the birds and my mother fetched some bread for them. She
broke it into little crumbs, the way my grandmother used to, and threw it to
them. The sparrows took no notice of the bread. When we carried my
grandmother’s corpse off, they flew away quietly. Next morning the sweeper
swept the bread crumbs into the dustbin.
12 1x4=4M
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow: Any One.
And what should I have done with them in a small rented room where the
shreds of black-out paper still hung along the windows and no more than a
handful of cutlery fitted in the narrow table drawer? I resolved to forget the
address. Of all the things I had to forget, that would be the easiest.
1. The word ‘them’ stands for
a. friends
b. things
c. feelings
d. the belongings
OR
Though it was nearly midnight when Andrew reached Bryngower, he found Joe
Morgan waiting for him, walking up and down with short steps between the
closed surgery and the entrance to the house. At the sight of him the burly
driller’s face expressed relief. “Eh, Doctor, I’m glad to see you. I been back and
forward here this last hour. The missus wants ye —before time, too.
13 Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words. Any two 2x3=6M
1.Why did King Tut’s mummy have to undergo a CT scan?
2. “I didn’t want to worry you when you were trying to save us all.” What does
this show about the speaker?
3.The grandmother has been portrayed as a very religious lady. What details in
the story create this impression?
4.‘She launches away, towards the infinite’. Explain the given line.
14 Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words. Any one 1x3=3M
1.What are the unique traits of the Garoghlanian tribe?
2. Who is Mrs Fitzgerald? What does she advise Mrs Pearson?
15 Answer one of the following questions in about 120-150 words. 1x6 =6M
155
The poem ‘Childhood’ exposes man and presents him in his true colours. All
adjectives displaying negative qualities are not enough for such a man. This
poem very innocently goads him to his real self. Explain.
OR
What problems did Howard Carter face with regard to Tut’s mummy? How did
he solve them?
(A) On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer the following questions by choosing the
most appropriate option: (1x 6 =6)
(B) Answer the following questions as briefly as possible: (Do any 4) (1x4=4)
1. …………………………………….should be avoided.
2.It is always good to eat less than your …………………………capacity.
3. Water, taken an hour or so before or after meals is good for………………..
4. Find the word in the passage with the meaning not worth recommending. (para 6)
5. …………………………….is perhaps the best method for energising the food.
2. Read the passage carefully then answer the questions that follow: (1x8=8)
My first ever rollercoaster ride
I have come to a theme park to meet rollercoaster enthusiast Jay Murray, to find out what makes
these rides so popular. Jay estimates he has been on 700 rides in the past 10 years, and is
surprised that I have never been on one. He says that one of the attractions of these rides is that
you feel out of control, but safe. Jay really wanted to emphasize the importance of safety. “All
rides are tested for 1,000 hours before they open to the public,” he said. “They also do a test run
on every ride each morning, and there’s a thorough annual inspection too.” 2. Rollercoasters first
appeared in 17th-century Russia. These were sloping structures up to 15 metres high, built of
wood, with a layer of ice on the surface which people would slide down. Rollercoasters with
wheeled sledges were developed soon afterwards. Later, in Pennsylvania, in the USA, a train that
had been used to deliver coal was converted to carry passengers on day trips. This gave a man
called LaMarcus Thompson the idea to open a park with pleasure rides at Coney Island, New
York. A school teacher by profession, he had the eye of a designer, and the mind of a
businessman. In just three weeks, he raised enough money from the rides to pay for the cost of
building the park.
By 1888, Thompson had built nearly 50 rollercoasters around the USA and Europe. He introduced
new technologies such as cables to pull trains uphill, but it was another man, John Miller, who
came up with a design for an under-friction wheel, which kept trains firmly attached to the rails.
158
This meant that they could go faster and on steeper tracks, without falling off. This invention
appeared in 1912.
Name of ride Country Height Total cost Maximum speed
Tower of Terror Australia 115 metres A $16 Million 161 Kilometres per hour
Formula Rossa United Arab Emirates 52 metres 19.5 million pounds 240 kilometres per hour
Steel Dragon Japan 97 metres US $52 million 153 kilometres per hour.
The introduction of steel tracks meant that the structures were significantly stronger, making
rides safer. This also enabled engineers to be more ambitious in their designs, with the
knowledge that the rides would still feel smoother. The tracks became quieter too, which was
another bonus. Modern rides have a range of features, including floorless trains, free-fall drops,
rolls and loops – all of which mean that if you go on a ride these days, the experience is so intense.
“That’s why I love them,” said Jay. “You forget who you are for a minute.” The names of some
famous rides reflect these features – Tower of Terror, Formula
Rossa and Steel Dragon are just some examples.
However, there are limits to the physical forces that a person can tolerate on a ride. People can
cope more easily with the positive vertical – the feeling of being pressed into their seat – than
the negative vertical, which pushes them out of it. Interestingly, Jay points out that the desire to
make rollercoaster rides higher and faster is slowly being replaced by a trend towards more
complex rides, which offer a more lasting experience. Jay explains: “A world-famous ride such as
Kingda Ka (in the USA) is over in less than ten seconds. Although such a ride is thrilling, and gives
you a rush of adrenaline, there is an alternative. You can try a ride like Helix (in Sweden), which
lasts for two minutes – it’s my number one at the moment.” All the same, Jay was eager for me
to experience ‘air time’ – the moment when you reach the top and hang, weightless, before
plunging down the other side. And when I finally did, I had to admit that it was fantastic!
Q.1 How do theme parks make sure each ride is safe every day?
(a) Daily Inspection (b)Open ride
(c) By test run (d)None of these
Q.2 What were the earliest roller coasters covered in?
(a) Layers of ice (b) Dust
(c) Wood (d) Coal
Q.3 What did the railway in Pennysylvania originally transport?
(a) Wood (b) Coal
(c) Both (A)and (B) (d)Roller Coasters
Q.4 What was the occupation of the man who first designed the rides at Coney Island?
159
(a) Business (b)Engineer
(c) Designer (d) Teacher
Q.5 What was the name of the device which was invented in 1912?
(a) Cable (b) Tower of Terror
(c) Under-friction wheel (d) Steel Dragon
Q.6 According to table, how tall is Tower of Terror?
(a) 115 metres (b) 110 metres
(c) 75 metres (d) 100 metres
Q.7 Which term refers to the force that pushes you into your seat while on a ride?
(a) Physical Force (b)Positive Vertical
(c) Negative Vertical (d) None of these
Q.8 Which feature makes Jay Murray believe that roller coaster rides will change in the future?
(a) Thrilling (b) Weightless
(c) More complex (d)Simple
3. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
BALANCING THE SCALES
Artificial intelligence (AI) is making a difference to how legal work is done, but it isn’t the threat it is made
out to be. AI is making impressive progress and shaking up things all over the world today. The
assumption that advancements in technology and artificial intelligence will render any profession
defunct is just that, an assumption and a false one. The only purpose this assumption serves is creating
mass panic and hostility towards embracing technology that is meant to make our lives easier.
Let us understand what this means explicitly for the legal world. The ambit of AI includes recognizing
human speech and objects, making decisions based on data, and translating languages. Tasks that can
be defined as ‘search-and-find’ type can be performed by AI.
Introducing AI to this profession will primarily be for the purpose of automating mundane, tedious tasks
that require negligible human intelligence. The kind of artificial intelligence that is employed by
industries in the current scene, when extended to the law will enable quicker services at a lower price.
AI is meant to automate a number of tasks that take up precious working hours lawyers could be devoted
to tasks that require discerning, empathy, and trust- qualities that cannot be replicated by even the most
sophisticated form of AI. The legal profession is one of the oldest professions in the world. Thriving over
1000 years; trust, judgement, and diligence are the pillars of this profession. The most important pillar
is the relationship of trust between a lawyer and clients, which can only be achieved through human
connection and interaction.
While artificial intelligence can be useful in scanning and organizing documents pertaining to a case, it
cannot perform higher-level tasks such as sharp decision making, relationship-building with valuable
clients and writing legal briefs, advising clients, and appearing in court. These are over and above the
realm of computerization. The smooth proceeding of a case is not possible without sound legal research.
While presenting cases lawyers need to assimilate information in the form of legal research by referring
to a number of relevant cases to find those that will favour their client’s motion. Lawyers are even
required to thoroughly know the opposing stand and supporting legal arguments they can expect to
prepare a watertight defence strategy. AI, software that operates on natural language enables electronic
160
discovery of information relevant to a case, contract reviews, and automation generation of legal
documents.
AI utilizes big-data analytics which enables visualization of case data. It also allows for creation of a map
of the cases which were cited in previous cases and their resulting verdicts, as per the website Towards
Data Science. The probability of a positive outcome of a case can be predicted by leveraging predictive
analytics with machine learning. This is advantageous to firms as they can determine the return on
investment in litigation and whether an agreement or arbitration should be considered.
(a) On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using headings and
subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary- minimum four) and a format you
consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it. (5)
(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. (3)
B. stories/he/wrote/few/that/funny/very/are/the
(a)He wrote that the few stories are very funny.
(b)The few stories that he wrote are very funny.
(c) He wrote the few stories that are very funny.
(d) The few stories he wrote that are very funny.
8. Youngsters can perform a significant role in curbing corruption. Write a speech to be given in the
morning assembly on the same topic. (5)
You may include points like:
• Education the need of the hour
• Saying no to donations
• Saying no to private tuitions
• Promoting merit-based selection
• Equipping oneself with high education
OR
The progress of a nation depends on empowering the women. Obsessed with this idea,
Write a speech for the Youth Conclave on the topic, ‘Empowering the women’’,
9. “Our large population is not a cause of poverty but an asset, a resource”. Write a debate in 120-150
words either for or against the motion. (5)
OR
A number of your classmates bunk their classes in order to attend coaching centres.
Write a debate in 120-150 words on “Tuition at Coaching Centres is not essential”.
11. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow: (1x3=3)
A. She hobbled about the house in spotless white with one hand resting on her waist to
balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of her rosary. Her silver locks were
scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face, and her lips constantly moved in
inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter landscape in the
mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment
162
Q.1. Who is the author in these lines?
(a) Shirley Toulson (b) Nani Palkhivala (c)A.R. Williams (d) Khushwant Singh
12. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow: (1x4=4)
A. Nobody could understand where we ever got money enough to keep us with food in our bellies, not
even the old men of the family. Most important of all, though, we were famous for our honesty. We
had been famous for our honesty for something like eleven centuries, even when we had been the
wealthiest family in what we liked to think was the world.
OR
B. ‘There is my daughter,’ said my mother. She beckoned to me. The woman nodded
and picked up the suitcase under the coat-rack. She wore a brown coat and a shapeless hat.
‘Does she live far away?’ I asked, seeing the difficulty she had going out of the house with the
163
heavy case.
(a) The Address (b) Mother’s Day (c) Birth (d)None of these
13. Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (3x2=6)
(a) What problem did Carter face when he reached the mummy? How did he find a way out?
OR
What stories of the grandmother did the author treat as ‘Fables’ of the
Prophets? Why?
(b) The poet’s mother laughed at the Snapshot. What did her laugh indicate?
OR
Describe the scene when the goldfinch and her family start
Chirruping and shaking the tree.
14. Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (3x1=3)
Who was Joe Morgan? Why had he been waiting for Dr. Andrew Manson?
OR
How was the melon crowned the king of the state?
15. Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (6x1=6)
What made the narrator set sail from Plymouth, England in July
1976? How did he prepare for his voyage?
OR
Gangadhar Pant could not help comparing the country he knew
With what he was witnessing around him. Elucidate.
16. Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (6x1=6)
164
Describe the narrator’s experience of early morning ride with his cousin
Mourad in the story ‘The Summer of a Beautiful white Horse’.
OR
There lies great difference between textbook medicine and world of
Practising physician. Discuss.
SAMPLE PAPER - 4
Class 11
Subject - English Core (301)
1. There were hundreds of us in the lecture hall, watching the descent of the Vikram Lander of the
Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, with the Pragyan rover, descending on the lunar surface, all 1498 kg
of it hurtling down, pulled by the gravity of Moon. It had separated from the rest of the
spacecraft four days ago, leaving the Orbiter, where it is going to spend at least seven years,
with its eight excellent instruments sending back crucial scientific information about the Moon,
its environment and even the Sun.
2. We were applauding as the green dot on the plot of the landing trajectory, showing the altitude
and the range of the lander, reached about two km above the surface, at which point its speed was
about50 m/s. Then our spirits fell as it deviated from the expected course, and got stuck, indicating
that we had lost communication. This is the phase, which the ISRO Chairperson Dr. K.Sivan had
described as the, “15 minutes of terror”. We still haven’t recovered communication, but thermal
imaging from the orbiter’s cameras has located the site of the landing. The extent of the damage to
Vikram is still being assessed. If things had gone according to plan, India would have joined an elite
club of three other nations that have landed in one piece on an extra-terrestrial surface–the Moon.
3. Chandrayaan-2 was launched in July on the GSLV-3, taking a complicated, fuel-efficient path to
the Moon lasting over 40 days. In contrast with the Apollo missions being launched on the more
powerful Saturn-V launchers in the 1960s, this mission was kept affordable, but sent the mission on
a long journey fraught with possible pitfalls.
4. We are now hopeful that we will gain contact with Vikram, lovingly named after the founder of
ISRO in its birth centenary year. Even if some of the instruments can be made to work, we would
have valuable information and images close to the lunar surface and learn more about what to do
and whatnot to in our next attempt.
5. The CLASS instrument on the orbiter will quantify the amount of calcium, magnesium, iron,
sodium and other useful elements on or below the lunar surface through X-ray fluorescence. The
IIRS instrument, also on the orbiter, will tell us about water and minerals under the surface.
6. Even if we choose not to live on the Moon, we need a Moon base, as a refuelling station, or as an
assembly or service station. We have to know what resources are available on the Moon. What is a
small part of this mission is not successful? In my mind, the journey of ISRO team that has brought
165
the mission to where it is now is more important than the task that will be performed. Similarly, the
complicated journey of the spacecraft from the Earth to and around the Moon has adequately
demonstrated what Indian technology can achieve.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer questions given below.
i. How many days ago was Vikram Lander separated from the spacecraft?
ii. For how long was it supposed to remain upon the lunar surface?
iii. Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the CORRECT
order of the sentences.
3. The authors of the census report warn that nearly all of the five major tiger-zones face challenges to the
growth of the tiger population due to the increasing demands from infrastructure development. The wildlife
habitats (Protected Areas and corridors) within this region (Central Indian highlands and Eastern Ghats) face a
range of threats, including habitat encroachment, illegal hunting of both tigers and their prey, conflicts
167
between humans and wildlife, unregulated and illicit cattle grazing, excessive harvesting of non-timber forest
produce, human induced forest fires, mining, and ever-expanding linear infrastructure.
4. Since 1973, when Project Tiger was established, the number of dedicated tiger reserves has grown from nine
reserves covering 18,278 square km to 53 reserves spanning 75,796 square km, which is roughly2.3% of India’s
land area. However, experts have said that most of the country’s tigers are focused within a handful of reserves
which are fast approaching their peak carrying capacity, and unless new regions are developed as reserves, it
may be a challenge to ensure further growth in numbers.
(Source- The Hindu, INDIA’S TIGER POPULATION TOPS 3,000, SHOWS CENSUS)
II.A) On the basis of your reading the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the bestof the given
options:
i. Select the correct span of years showing the maximum increase in the tiger population based on the
given figure.
a) 2006-2010
b) 2014-2018
c) 2018-2022
d) 2010-2014
ii. The condition of the tiger population as per the author on the basis of project Tiger is
a) Promising
b) Discouraging
c) Ominous
d) Disheartening
iii. The wildlife habitats in Central Indian highlands and Eastern Ghats face intimidations from
a) disturbance of habitat, authorized hunting and cattle grazing
b) conflicts between humans, limited harvesting of forest produce and mining
c) habitat encroachment, illicit cattle grazing and human induced forest fires
d) harvesting of timber forest produce, natural forest fires and expanding linear infrastructure
iv. Statement-A: For the latest census, the tiger numbers may face variations.
Statement-R: The estimates of tigers outside camera traps haven’t been calculated completely.
a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
b) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
c) A is true but R is false.
d) A is false but R is true.
II.B) Answer the following questions:
v. Mention the methods involved in estimating the tiger population.
vi. "We must protect tigers from extinction. Our planet's future depends on it." Yet, the passage hints atman’s
significant role in posing threats to the growth of tiger population. Highlight any one.
vii. Inspite of the mounting number of tiger reserves, identify and comment on the hurdle they face.
viii. Find a word from para-3 which means the same as ‘natural home of a plant or an animal’.
But peace has rarely ever extended to the line of control, the ceasefire line determined after the 1971 war.
The line of control does not have the sanctity of the international boundary, as the Border Security Force’s
168
Inspector-General for Kashmir observes, “We cannot take it for granted that ‘they’ won’t do anything here
even with best of relations between India and Pakistan. Ergo, the perpetual alert.
The alertness is responsible for the military atmosphere that prevails at Kashmir Headquarters and outposts.
At international boundaries, as in Rajasthan and Bangladesh, the BSF functions as the police force it was
envisaged to be when founded in 1965. It checks smuggling and infiltration, and even sorts out problems of
straying cattle. Those intercepted are often armed with closed-combat automatic weapons, which can be
very effective against the BSF’s standard 7.62 self-loading rifle.
And death comes easily in those mountains, where the body’s energy is spent fighting the cold. On daily
border patrols, small injuries can spell death. Not long before our visit, two jawans overcame by fatigue had
stopped to rest near Razhdan. They simply froze to death. Ten-day patrols often set out from the outposts,
eating, sleeping and moving about in snow, with blizzards and avalanches possible any time. And it’s never
certain that every man will return alive.
The BSF has a greater responsibility on the mountain passes of the line of control; it is very often on its own.
In case of attack, the army will not be able to reach the passes quickly as it would on the plain. And the
Kashmir outposts are cut off from the rest of the world in the winter months, when the BSF men are
expected to hold on to their posts under attack.
(c) On the basis of your reading of the passage, make notes on it, using headings and sub-headings. Supply
an appropriate title to it. Use recognisable abbreviations (minimum4), wherever necessary.
5
(b) Write a summary of the notes prepared, in not more than 80 words. 3
4A. Choose the correct alternative form of the Verb given in brackets: 2
i. He thanked me for what I ______(do).
a. Did b. will do c. had done d. does
ii. It is high time he ________(start) studying.
a. will start b. started c. had started d. starts
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct determiner to complete the sentences given below:
i. There aren’t __________ books in the library.
ii. Do you have_________ idea about it?
iii. I have found ______ book that I had lost.
5. Read the jumbled words and arrange the sentences in its correct order.1X3=3
i. crowded/railway/platform/last/Sunday/the/was/unusually
ii.Morning/for/had/they/waiting/been/since/the/train
iii.Goa/winter/were/they/during/to/holidays/going
6.A. The DIG of police, Lucknow has recently noticed the underage school children driving two wheelers.
Concerning the issue, he would like to make children aware through the means of posters. Draft an attractive
poster showing the life safety issues. 3
OR
B. The DIG of police, Lucknow, recently noticed underage school children driving two wheelers. Concerned with
the issue, he wishes to create awareness about the risks associated with it among children through the means
of posters. Draft an attractive poster showing road safety issues.
169
7.A. You want to sell your old car as you are planning to buy a new one. Draft a suitable advertisement to be
published in a local daily under the classified columns. You are Manav/ Manvi of 121 Pushp Vihar, Kanpur.
3
OR
B. Anuj/ Anuja has started Yoga classes for ladies and children at her residence 155/A Sunbeam Apartments,
Patparganj, Delhi. Draft an advertisement for the same to be published in a local daily giving details like timings
and fees.
8. A.Yoga unites the body, mind and soul. When you are in harmony, the journey through life is calmer, happier
and more fulfilling. Write a speech in 120-150 words to be delivered in the morning assembly on the topic '
Yoga- a way of life'. You are Karan/ Kajal, Head Boy /Head Girl of D.A.V. Public School, Delhi.
5
Suggested value points:
• What is yoga?
• Present status
• Celebration of International Yoga Day
• What is the need to practise?
• When and how to practise
• Various yoga postures
• Benefits of Yoga
• Conclusion
OR
B. The Sports In charge of your school has asked you to deliver a speech on The Value of
Games and Sports in life in the morning assembly. Draft a speech in about in (120-150)
words. You are Karan/ Kajal, Head Boy /Head Girl of D.A.V. Public School, Delhi.
Suggested value points:
• best means of health and fitness
• help people build their physical stamina and mental agility
• raise their level of endurance
• promote healthy competition
• instils the spirit of excellence, goal setting and target achievement
• boosts confidence
9. A. ‘The internet cannot replace a classroom teacher’. Using your experience of online teaching during Covid-
19 and classroom teaching write a debate for or against the motion in about 120 to 150 words.
5
OR
B.Julieta Martinez, a gender equity youth activist, feels that girls and young women have the right to raise their
voices, to be heard for their dignity and to be agents of social change. Her work focuses on empowering,
educating and amplifying the voices of young women and adolescents who seek to become change global
processes. But inspite of many others making similar efforts, Gender Equality (United Nations Sustainable
Development Goal-4) still remains a heated topic of debate. Write a debate in favour or against the topic
‘Gender Equality is a Myth not a Reality’ in about 120-150 words.
10. Read the given extract and attempt questions that follow: 1x3=3
i.Why must father and son live on the same globe and the same land?
a. To take care of each other
b. To not let others to take disadvantage of them staying apart
c. To make their life easy
d. To rebuild their relationship
ii. What does ‘empty hand’ signify?
iii. Identify the poetic device used in the second line of the above extract.
11. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow: 1x3=3
A. When I decided to go abroad for further studies, I was sure my grandmother would be upset. I would
be away for five years, and at her age one could never tell. But my grandmother could. She was not even
sentimental. She came to leave me at the railway station but did not talk or show any emotion. Her lips moved
in prayer; her mind was lost in prayer. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
a) Huge
b) Large
c) Mammoth
d) All of these
ii. What does the word ‘knot’ in the above lines mean?
a) Unit of Speed
b) Unit of Weight
c) Unit of Distance
d) None of these
iii. What were the conditions they faced on January 2?
12. Read the text carefully and answer the questions: 1x4=4
A. ‘Have you come back?’ said the woman. ‘I thought that no one had come
back’. ‘Only me’. A door opened and closed in the passage behind her. A musty
smell emerged. ‘I regret I cannot do anything for you’. ‘I have come here
specially on the train. I wanted to talk to you for a moment’. ‘It is not
convenient for me now’, said the woman. ‘I can’t see you. Another time'. She
nodded and cautiously closed the door as though on one inside the house
should be disturbed.
ii.What was the reaction of Mrs. Dorling when the narrator first went to herhouse?
a. She welcomed the narrator.
b. Her face gave no sign of recognition.
c. Mrs. Dorling took her inside and treated her to a cup of tea.
d. She kept staring at the narrator in silence.
iii. Why did the woman say ‘I thought that no one had come back.’?
iv. What kind of a welcome did the narrator get from Mrs. Dorling?
OR
B. The wisest man was found and brought,
Nay, carried, to the Royal Court.
He could not walk and could not see,
So old (and therefore wise) was he -
But in a quavering voice he said,
'The culprit must be punished.
Truly, the arch it was that banged
The crown off, and it must be hanged'.
i. Which of the following has not been narrated about the old man?
1. He was found
172
2. He was carried
3. He could not laugh
4. He could not walk
5. He had sharp eyes
6. He could not see
a. 2 and 4
b. 4 and 6
c. 1 and 2
d. 3 and 5
13. Answer ANY TWO of the following questions in about 30 to 40 words: 3x2=6
a. i. How did the sparrows express their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died?
OR
ii. What was the strange reality that Professor Gaitonde saw as he stepped out of the
station?
a. What social message does the play ‘Mother’s Day’ convey? How relevant is it in the present-day
context?
b. John Byro could swear that the horse was his, still he didn’t accuse the boys of stealing. Why?
A. What problems did Howard Carter face with regard to Tut’s mummy? How did he
solve them?
OR
B. Describe the difficulties and disillusionment faced by Nick Middleton during his
journey to Mount Kailash.
16. Answer ANY ONE of the following questions in about 120-150 words: 6
A. How did Dr Andrews feel when he saw the stillborn child? How did he save the child’s life?
OR
B. The narrator mentioned ‘a crazy streak’ running in his family. Which two characters showed thisstreak in
their behaviour and words? Write briefly about them showing how they could be called crazy.
173
Sample Paper - 5
(2024-25)
CLASS-XI ENGLISH CORE (301)
TIME ALLOWED-3 HOURS M.M-80
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
1. This paper is divided into three sections A, B, C.
SECTION A- READING SKILLS (26 MARKS)
SECTION B- GRAMMAR AND CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS (23 MARKS)
SECTION-C- LITERATURE (31 MARKS)
2. All sections are compulsory.
3. Adhere to word limit, wherever prescribed.
1. The analysis of handwriting has a long history—some say it goes back to Roman times. Modern graphology
began early in the 19th century. Allan Conway, a professional graphologist for 12 years says, “Handwriting
says more about you than many chosen words, simply because you cannot hide yourself in your
handwriting—it’s not really your hand that’s writing, but your brain. It’s your personality frozen in ink.”
2. Despite public scepticism, graphology plays a covert role in British management. Many companies use it
for executive recruitment and analysis. Graphology tells them about the candidates’ temperaments,
highlighting both weaknesses and strengths. It is needed to know three things about the writers: their
sex, their age and if they are left or right-handed. Then he looks for 16 dominant elements, including the
size of the writing, the pressure, the speed and slant of the words, how connected the characters are, the
rhythm and regularity of writing. “But there is one golden rule,” Rees says, “No single sign on its own must
ever be taken to mean anything.”
3. The principles, according to Conway, are straightforward. The baseline—whether the writing goes straight
across the page or slants up and down—helps to determine the writer’s state of mind. A very upward
baseline shows a creative, ambitious and outgoing person. A slightly downward one can reveal
dissatisfaction or unhappiness though it could simply be a sign of fatigue. “A sharp downward baseline
usually indicates serious problems or illness, probably emotional”, says Conway, “while a straight one is
an excellent sign of emotional stability. An irregular baseline can mean an excitable writer with poor self-
discipline.”
4. The way letters are formed and connected is important: a writer with angular letters, for example, is often
persistent and decisive. Arched letters suggest the writer is reluctant to express emotions freely and may
appear cold. The more connected the letters, the more co-ordinate the patterns of thought. Character
size can also be significant. Larger letters tend to suggest vitality, enterprise and self- reliance, while small
letters can reveal a lack of self-confidence, but are also found in fields of research where concentration
and exactness are necessary.
5. The slant of a person’s writing indicates their emotional make-up. Where all the letters are vertical the
writer is likely to be someone uncomfortable in groups. For right-handers, left-word slant shows
introversion while rightward slant reveals someone outgoing, friendly and ambitious. A constantly varying
slant betrays an unpredictable personality. The spacing between words points to the writer’s
organizational abilities: wide spacing suggests individuality, extravagance, self-confidence and sociability.
174
A. Choose the most appropriate option: (1 x 5 = 5 marks)
1. Graphology is
(a) handwriting
(b) way of handwriting
(c) analysis of handwriting
(d) formation of letters
4. The letters small in size reveal that the writer may be……………………
(a) a researcher
(b) confident
(c) arrogant
(d) humble
5. The spacing between words reveals…………
(a) the writer’s organisational abilities
(b) the writer’s predicament
(c) the writer’s grief
(e)the writer’s delight
2. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 8 Marks
1. Even as the overall value of frauds reported by Indian banks halved from 59,819 crore in FY22 to
30,252 crore in FY23, the value and volume of digital frauds committed using cards and internet-based
payment methods nearly doubled in the previous financial year, data from the Reserve Bank of India’s
(RBI) FY23 annual report showed.
175
2. Experts said fraudsters are using new techniques to cheat customers. These include phishing, malware
being designed to extract and copy data from the infected device of a bank customer, vishing, and SIM
cloning, said a report by Bureau — a single AI architecture platform partnering with lenders for risk
compliance solutions.
3. Fraudsters also create fake UPI handles on social media to trick people into revealing account details,
making the customer download an application which can sometime monitor their mobile or computer
screen remotely. There are also more sophisticated scams in which fraud rings get the victim’s data and
transfer money to an intermediary account.
4. Amit Das, co-founder, and CEO at Think360.AI, said as digital outposts and customer facing adoption
has gone up, owing to all around investments made by modern and traditional institutions, digital
education is at sub-par level. Secondly, fraudsters have access to easier and less risky methods
currently to attack unsuspecting customers.
“Fear and greed are great tools. Most frauds can be traced to inducing fear that your account is blocked, or
greed that you have won a lottery,” he said.
5. Biju K, senior vice president & chief vigilance officer at Federal Bank, said digital evolution has been
adopted by the fraudsters and criminals as much as by customers. UPI transactionsrose 427% in volume
during 2020 and 2022. He said banks and other financial service providers should ensure stronger IT
infrastructure with regular upgrades, in line with evolving technologies. “They should maintain basic
cyber hygiene to ensure that their platforms are free from vulnerabilities. Awareness building for the
public on safe usage of internet and digital banking is very much needed.” He added that advanced
monitoring mechanisms should also be installed by banks for real- time detection and prevention of
digital frauds.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
(i) As per RBI data, ........................ is the most common digital fraud reported.
(B) On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer the following questions by
choosing the most appropriate option: (1x 6 =6)
Q.1. Tamasik food influences a person by
e) generating stress
Q.2. Generally what incorrect belief do people practise at the table?
b) Smoking or drinking even in moderation relieves stress
Q.3. The writer says that the “food actually eats one up” because the
b) Excessive intake of food takes a lot of body’s energy to digest it.
Q.4. Rajasik tendencies are generated due to:
c)over indulgence and excessive craving for a particular taste
Q.5.Here, the word “charge” means
d)to feel full of vigour
Q.6. What does ‘induce’ mean?
b) Cause, influence
(B) Answer the following questions as briefly as possible: (Do any 4) (1x4=4)
1.freshners.
2.full stomach
3. Digestion
4. Inadvisable
5. Prayer
190
4. Read the passage carefully then answer the questions that follow: (1x8=8)
Q.1 How do theme parks make sure each ride is safe every day?
(c) By test run
Q.2 What were the earliest roller coasters covered in?
(a) Layers of ice
Q.3 What did the railway in Pennsylvania originally transport?
(b) Coal
Q.4 What was the occupation of the man who first designed the rides at Coney Island?
(d) Teacher
Q.5 What was the name of the device which was invented in 1912?
(c) Under-friction wheel
Q.6 According to table, how tall is Tower of Terror?
(a) 115 metres
Q.7 Which term refers to the force that pushes you into your seat while on a ride
(b)Positive Vertical
Q.8 Which feature makes Jay Murray believe that roller coaster rides will change in the
future?
(c) More complex
3. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
(a) On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using headings
and subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary- minimum four) and a
format you consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it. (5)
Artificial Intelligence: Not a threat
1. Not a threat
1.1 is of help
1.2 makes life easier
1.3 no profession defunct
191
4. Function of AI.
Key to Abbreviations
Abbreviations Words
AI Artificial Intelligence
recog. recognises
langs. Languages
apprng. Appearing
invt. investment
Summary
Artificial Intelligence: Not a threat
Artificial Intelligence is not a threat but makes life easier especially in the legal field. It cannot
perform certain high-level tasks like writing legal briefs, advising clients, making sharp decisions
and appearing in courts but it can collate data, aid research and decisions based on data. It can
recognize human speech and translate languages. It can also predict probable outcomes, tell
return on investment, consider agreement or arbitration and is thus advantageous to legal firms.
192
5. Choose the correct option: (3x1=3)
A. he/my/letter/received/must have/by/now.
(a) He must have received my letter by now.
B. stories/he/wrote/few/that/funny/very/are/the
(b)The few stories that he wrote are very funny.
C. you/would/when/meet/her/she /know did not.
(a) She did not know when you would meet her.
11. Poster (3)Value points-An attractive poster using different letter sizes, a sketch and put in a
box. Details of
The event given-Issuing authority given-grammatically correct (3)
OR
Value points_
Highlight the theme “Abolish Child Labour Campaign”,
Enumerating-educating every child, free and compulsory till 14
years, child labour being illegal
a simple drawing
issuing authority
in a box
193
• Equipping oneself with high education
• Proper conclusion
• Grammatical accuracy
OR
Value points-
• Introduction
• Enumeration of various points regarding problems for empowering women, the need
to do so and the manner it can be done
• Education for all
• Equal salary and opportunities
• Stopping social judgement
• Empowered women
• Conclusion
• Grammatical accuracy
13. “Our large population is not a cause of poverty but an asset, a resource”.
Value points- Proper introduction (Greeting), state whether For or against. Relevant points
given with evidence and proper language, Conclusion, grammatical accuracy (5)
OR
“Tuition at Coaching Centres is not essential”.
Value points- Proper introduction (Greeting), state whether For or against. Relevant points given
with evidence and proper language, Conclusion, grammatical accuracy (5)
Section-C (31 marks)
14. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: (1x3=3)
D. “In the afternoon yellow September sunlight
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen”.
194
11. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow: (1x3=3)
A. She hobbled about the house in spotless white with one hand resting on her waist to
balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of her rosary. Her silver locks were
scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face, and her lips constantly moved in
inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter landscape in the
mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment
Q.1. Who is the author in these lines?
(d) Khushwant Singh
Q2. Who is being referred to here by the author?
(c) His grandmother
Q 3. The grandmother is compared to the winter landscape because
(c) Both a and b
OR
F. The night dragged on with an an endless, bitterly cold routine of pumping, steering and
working the radio. We were getting no replies to our Mayday calls-which was not surprising
in this remote corner of the world.
Q.1. Who are the authors of these lines?
(a) Gordon Cook and Alan East
Q 2. Which incident is being described here?
(b) Journey across the Indian Ocean
Q 3. What does ‘Mayday’ refer tp?
(d) Distress Signal
17. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow: (1x4=4)
C. Nobody could understand where we ever got money enough to keep us with food
in our bellies, not even the old men of the family. Most important of all, though,
we were famous for our honesty. We had been famous for our honesty for
something like eleven centuries, even when we had been the wealthiest family in
what we liked to think was the world.
195
OR
D. ‘There is my daughter,’ said my mother. She beckoned to me. The woman nodded
and picked up the suitcase under the coat-rack. She wore a brown coat and a
shapeless hat. ‘Does she live far away?’ I asked, seeing the difficulty she had going
out of the house with the heavy case.
18. Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (3x2=6)
Value points-
The mummy was stuck to the coffin due to solidified resins
Put it in the hot sun
To protect the gold, the mummy was cut and reassembled, joint by joint
OR
Value points-
Unable to accept that grandmother was once young and pretty
(c) The poet’s mother laughed at the Snapshot-her laughter indicated joy
and nostalgia for her carefree childhood days and lost youth
OR
Value points-when the goldfinch came to visit her family, all the baby
birds started Chirruping and shaking the tree. It was as though a
machine had started
19. Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (3x1=3)
Joe Morgan was a driller in Blaenelly, a mining town. He was a big, strong and heavy
middle-aged person. Joe and his wife Susan, who had been married nearly twenty years,
were expecting their first child. Joe was waiting for the doctor to help Susan in the delivery
of the child.(Elaborate)
OR
After the King was hung, the cunning ministers decided that the next person to cross the city gate
would select the ruler.A fool passed by the gate of the city. The guards asked him to decide who
would be the King. The fool answered “melon” because it was his usual answer to all the
questions. So the Melon was crowned king, and the city became known as 'Melon City' ever
since.(Elaborate)
196
20. Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (6x1=6)
He wanted to duplicate the round-the-world voyage made 200 years earlier by Captain
James Cook. Captain Cook discovered Australia. So the narrator set sail from Plymouth in
England in July 1976 on 1,05,000 kilometre journey. For this purpose he had got made
his boat Wavewalker. It was a 23 meter, 30 ton wooden hulled boat. (Elaborate)
OR
Gangadharpant knew India which had seen the decline of the Peshwas and experienced
the slavery of the British. But the India he had seen in two days was entirely different. It
had not been subjected to slavery for the white men. It was self-dependent and enjoyed
self-respect.
21. Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (6x1=6)
Aram loved horses. One of his most cherished dreams was to have a horse ride. When his
cousin Mourad brought the white horse he could not believe his eyes. He was mesmerised
by seeing the grandeur of the horse. When Mourad asks him to have a ride he couldn’t
hold himself. Initially they had a ride together but afterward Aram insisted on having a
ride all by himself. When Aram first rode the horse alone, it did not move. Mourad gave
him direction on how to ride. But when Aram kicked the horse, it snorted and then started
running furiously. It did not run across the field, instead went towards the vineyard of
Dikran Halabian. There it leaps vehemently and the author falls down. He found it really
hard to tackle the horse. However, Mourad was at ease while riding the horse. He said he
had a way with everything and indeed he handled the horse very nicely unlike Aram.
OR
Textbook medicine takes into account only general science and physical symptoms. It
does not take into account individual situation and emotional problems. A practising
physician has to deal with individuals. He has to take into account their emotional needs
or problems also. He cannot always go for textbook medicines. For example there is no
textbook medicine for a stillborn child. But a practising physician like Andrew Manson
knows what value the newborn has for particular mother or family. he He knows it is a
special case and has to be dealt in a special way. He tries to revive the baby by putting
him in hot and cold water alternately, something he had seen, a few years back. He
succeeded feeling elation for having saved a life and kept the trust of the Morgans. In a
Textbook there are no special cases and no special ways. A practising physician can't
always go by textbooks.
197
Marking scheme Sample Paper No.4
Time: 3 hrs. Max. Marks: 80
SECTION – A (Reading Skills) (26 marks)
1. i. four days
ii. seven years
iiib. 3, 1, 4, 2
ivLunar surface
vb. GSLV-3
vib. because it indicated the altitude and the range of the lander
vii.c. it quantifies the amount of calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium and other useful elements
on or below the lunar surface
viii. refuelling station
ix.c.significant
x.Pragyan rover deviating from its course
1. i. b) 2014-2018
ii. a) Promising
iii. c) habitat encroachment, illicit cattle grazing and human induced forest fires
iv.a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
v.The tiger numbers are estimated by adding animals caught in camera traps, and those
estimated by statistical techniques.
vi.encroachment, illegal hunting, cattle grazing, forest fires, mining, infrastructure
development, conflicts between humans and wildlife (any one)
vii.experts have said that most of the country’s tigers are focused within a handful of
reserves which are fast approaching their peak carrying capacity
viii.habitat
3 a. 5 marks -
title - 1, numbering and indentation – 1, notes – 2, abbreviations/key/glossary - 1
Our Brave Jawans
1.Line of Control
1.1marked – double fence of barbed wire
1.2area beyond – densely mined
1.3disputed – high tension and perpetual alert
2.BSF
2.1founded – 1965
2.2 fns. as a police force
2.2.1 at Raj., Bang., borders and LoC
2.2.2 checks – smuggling, infiltration, prob. of straying cattle
198
3. difficulties faced by the jawans
3.1 armed aggressors
3.2 hostile weather
3.2.1 bitterly cold in Kashmir – small injuries spell death
3.2.2 extremely hot in Raj.
Abbreviations used:
Fns. – functions
Raj. – Rajasthan
Bang. – Bangladesh
LoC - Line of Control
Prob.-- problem
b. Summary – 3 marks (up to 80 words)
content -2, expression - 1
The area beyond the fenced Line of Control is densely mined. Since it is disputed, perpetual
alert is maintained. Border Security Force founded in 1965 functions as a police force at
Rajasthan and Bangladesh borders. It checks smuggling, infiltration, and problems of straying
cattle. The jawans have to face armed aggressors, hostile weather and difficult terrain. On daily
border patrols, small injuries can spell death. They simply froze to death.
Against
Internet: Interactive ----- create audio visual effect---- boon of technology--- classroom without
walls--- economical---- comprehensive access---- maximum use of digital resources.
Anytime – anywhere
Teacher may not be available. School located far away. no face-to-face interaction between the
teacher and the student
B. For
Myth- Equality is an amalgam of three different words, ‘Status, Opportunities, and Rights’.
Society ascribes typical women-oriented roles and responsibilities, limited opportunities
and facilities to participate in various sectors of life, failure to cash in on their talents
resulting in huge economic losses, not allowed to exercise equal rights, patriarchal societies
become hurdles, violence and crimes against them go unheard.
Against
Reality- women often seen working together, competing with men, doing works once
considered difficult even for men, winning awards, building software and active in
construction business, many organizations and societies- grooming women for newer tasks
and opening new vistas for her, women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities
across many sectors of society, including economic participation and decision-making
11A. i.b) author feared his grandmother may die before his return
ii. d) she was not on talking terms with the author
iii. The ‘beads of her rosary’ were helping her to chant her prayers
B. i. d) All of these
ii. a) Unit of Speed
iv. They could see endless enormous seas rolling towards them, and the screaming of the
wind and spray was painful to the ears. High waves and stormy weather.
12. A. i.d. To have a look at the things once owned by her mother
ii. b. Her face gave no sign of recognition
iii. When the narrator mentioned her mother, she said that she had thought that none of the
people who had left had come back.
iv. Mrs. Dorling was cold and indifferent and evidently displeased to see the author. In fact, she
tried to prevent her from entering by blocking her entrance. Later, she said it was not
convenient for her to talk to the narrator at that point of time and refused to meet her.
B. i. d. 3 and 5
ii. he was old
iii.a. The thief must be freed
iv.The arch must be hanged.
b.i.The poem has been named ‘The Laburnum Top’ because the top of the tree has been
described in detail by the poet and the second part is a vivid description of the transformation
that the tree undergoes. The entire scenario revolves around the tree.
ii. As a person grows up, he becomes a rationalist, an egoist and a hypocrite. He accepts
nothing that is not logical. He loses faith in God. He does not believe in Hell or Heaven. He
becomes very conscious of his self. He wants to follow his own desires and ideas. He becomes
an egoist. He talks of love and preaches of love, but is not so loving in his actions. In short, he
loses all his innocence of his childhood
201
14.Any one in 30-40 words 3
a. message – the mother should be appreciated for keeping the house and family in order. The
housewife serves her family with love and devotion but she is not given the regard, attention or
thanks due to her. They should not be taken for granted but given due acknowledgement and
appreciation.
b. John Byro met the boys walking with his horse which had been stolen. He studied the
horse, asked its name and examined its teeth. He said if he did not know their parents’ honesty,
he would swear that it was his horse. He only called it the ‘twin’ of his horse.
Carter found three nested coffins. But when he reached the mummy, he ran into trouble. The
resins used to embalm Tut’s body had hardened. The coffin was of solid gold. Neither human
force nor the scorching sun could loosen the body. So Carter used chisel and hammer to
remove the resins. He had little choice. Tut’s mummy also had to be removed part by part.
Having taken out the gold coffin, the body parts were reassembled, put in a wooden box and
placed in the tomb again.
B. Nick Middleton faced a number of difficulties on his way to Mount Kailash to complete the
kora. The driver took a shortcut driving over difficult terrain and high mountain passes. At
places the path was covered with snow and ice which is dangerous. They flung handfuls of dirt
and covered the snow with soil to go over it. Due to rapid ascent to the high mountain pass and
low atmospheric pressure, he suffered from the effects of high altitude and got a severe
headache. The fuel of vehicle also expanded due to the low pressure, which could prove
perilous for them. In Darchen, he also suffered from blocked sinuses that resulted in breathing
problems. He spent a sleepless night as whenever he lay down to sleep, he couldn’t breathe
and get enough oxygen. He had to go to a doctor for medicine.
The author was disappointed and rather depressed on arrival at Hor located on the shore of
Lake Mansarovar. Previous visitors had been overwhelmed by the beauty of Lake Mansarovar,
but the author found Hor shabby and dirty. It was littered with accumulated refuse. He was
disillusioned.
When he reached Darchen there were no pilgrims and no one who knew English. He had to
wait as he did not like the idea of going alone on a pilgrimage.
202
16. Any one in 120-150 words 6 marks (content 3, expression3)
A. Dr Andrews shivered with horror when he saw the stillborn child. He not only helped the
mother in the safe delivery of a male child but also restored them to perfect health. The major
achievement of Andrew was to resuscitate the child who was suffering from asphyxia pallida.
First, he used the special method of respiration. Then he tried plunging the baby in hot and cold
water alternately. He laboured in vain for half an hour. He then made a last effort. He started
rubbing the child with a rough towel and went on pressing and releasing the baby’s little chest
with both his hands. At last, the baby responded and started breathing. Andrew called upon God
as witness of his act which was no less than a miracle. It was not mere theoretical talk but a
practical achievement—something real and solid.
B. Mourad and Uncle Khosrove were the two characters who showed a crazy streak in
their behaviour. Mourad was a thirteen year old Armenian boy. He belonged to Garoghlanian
tribe. He was fond of riding to the point of craziness. He sang out of joy when riding a stolen
horse. He said confidently that he had a way with horses. He was crazy like his uncle Khosrove
and was considered the natural descendent of his crazy uncle. Uncle Khosrove had a furious
temper and was known to be crazy. He was so impatient and irritable that he stopped anyone
from talking by roaring, ‘It is no harm; pay no attention to it’. He said this even when his son came
running to tell him that their house was on fire. He got irritated and snubbed John Byro when he
told him about his horse having been stolen.
203
MARKING SCHEME
SAMPLE PAPER SET-5
2024-25
CLASS-XI ENGLISH CORE(301)
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
1. The answer given below are suggestive. Credit should be given for any relevant point which is
not included in the value points listed below.
2.No marks shall be deducted for exceeding word-limit.
3.If a spelling error is recurring, it should be penalized only once.
204
C.
a. Dominant
b. Persistent
Passage-2
2. i. UPI Fraud
Ii c. XYZ is a debit card holder, who gets a call informing him/her that his /her card will get
blocked immediately. The caller states he/she is at the system and can prevent this if XYZ
provides his/her debit card pin.
iii. Two ways in which digitals frauds are carried out :1. Phishing 2. By creating fake UPI handles
3. By designing malware
iv. True
v. Individuals can be aware about the safe usage of internet and digital banking.
vi. Banks should maintain basic cyber hygiene and ensure stronger IT with regular upgrades.
vii. Because they are easy to access.
viii. b. Banks alone can curb digital frauds.
Q-3 Ans. A.Title- Stress / other relevant title-1 mark
Notes with proper numbering and indentation- 3 Marks
Abbreviations-1 marks
b. Summary ( about- 80 words)- 3 marks
(Grammar)
Q-4 A. I-c. Did you meet
ii. b. It always rains in this month.
B i. Nature provides bounty of beauty and solace to humans.
ii. Oil industry is reliant on the trees.
iii. I could not put my finger on the reason.
C. I. c. No sooner did he see the teacher entering the room than he sat on his seat.
ii. You don’t think that our school will win the match.
205
(WRITING SECTION)
Q5- Advertisement
Situation Vacant
Format-1, content-1, Expression-1
OR
Situation Wanted - Format-1, Expression-1, Content-1 mark
Q-6- Poster
Format-1, Content-1, Expression-1
Q-7-Speech Writing—Format-1, Content-2, Expression and grammatical Accuracy-2 marks
Suggested Value Points-Democracy definition and meaning, Positive aspects of Democracy,
Freedom the key factor of democracy etc. OR
Suggested Value points- Swachchh Bharat Mission: An initiative to make India clean, Aim of
Swachchh Bharat Mission, World’s largest sanitation Mission etc.
Q-8
DEBATE WRITING
Format-1 mark, Content-2, Expression and grammatical accuracy-2
Suggested Points- For the motion---Industrial activities, a source of pressure on environment,
Waste generation and resource consumption, Emitted pollutants harm plants, animals and their
habitatsetc.
Suggested Points-Against the motion- Healthy Industrial development, required for economic
development, Need of the present time, Required for Nation’s growth etc.
OR
Suggested POINTS- For the motion- If fulfilling maximum needs is the criterion of judging
happiness then all the affluent people in the world would be the happiest------Desires are the
root cause of pain and sufferings---Simple life-key to happiness etc.
Suggested Points – Against the motion---- If you are controlling your needs then youe are
limiting your life----Need, the mother of invention--- Desires and need a way to seek more
opportunities etc.
206
LITERATURE
Q-9A-
I. C My life is a game of chess.
II. The speaker is sad and dejected.
iii. The words seed and land are the metaphors for father’s efforts that he made to build loving
relationship with his son.
9.B.-1. d. My thoughts are stars
Ii .c. Alleviate
iii. c. sad and dejected
10.A-i- The author was delighted.
b. He was looking very happy and excited after knowing the reason behind narrator’s visit to
Darchen.
c. Norbu and narrator both came to visit that place to fulfil an academic purpose as narrator
was a physical geographer and Norbu was a scholar, who came there to complete a research
work.
10 B. 1.d
2.Tut’s body was laid with gold because they used to believe in rebirth and they could carry that
wealth in their next birth.
3. a. Wealth
Q-11A
I. d. To hang some one
ii. b. One who fits in the noose
iii. Adverb
iv. The Tale of Melon City
Q-11B
i.---- She thought that looking at their state of living, Andrew would not take the case and he
would leave the case saying he would return later, so she offered to make him a cup of tea.
Ii When the old woman returned with a cup of tea, Andrew smiled faintly, he noticed the old
woman, her wisdom in experience.
iii. It was the time of delivery, Andrew made many efforts to save the baby as well as the
mother.
iv. That incident proved unusual for him, it influenced his whole future in Blaenelly in a positive
way.
207
Q12
a. Because it was not easy to complete Kora alone as he was not aware about the condition of
the trail to Mt. Kailash. Yes, his disappointment dispelled when he met Norbu.
b. The striped face of the goldfinch is its identity mask. She remained hidden in ‘thickness’ and
her barred face makes her recognizable, and this face becomes her identity mask.
c. Some valid points based on individual experience
d. This statement focuses at the concept of multi-universe. Prof. Rajendra Deshpandey tried to
explain the experience of Prof. Gagadharpant , he told him that you were in present but
experiencing a different world.
Q-13
a---Mrs. Dorling’s daughter did not inherit the nature of her mother. Unlike her mother she was
of kind nature and also very gentle to guests.
b. The dilemma was whether the mother or the new born infant was to be saved first.
Q-14
a---Suggested Points---Andrew could turn his sense of defeat and hopelessness into one of joy
and victory----He could be able something great----He could feel satisfaction etc.
b. Suggested Points---Helpful to make the thoughtless and selfish person realise the real
position of the lady in the house as in case of Mrs. Pearson-----A lesson to fulfill responsibilities-
---Sometimes necessary to make a good bonding among family members etc.
Q-15
a--- Suggested Value Points---King Tut, the last member his family line—His funeral, the death
rattle of a dynasty----Tut’s dynasty---their belief in rebirth---Treasure in his tomb etc.
b. Suggested value Points----- sense of disconnect with the younger generation---Needs much
care and attention etc
208