Annual Practice Sheet , Class 9

SECTION – A (READING)

Q.1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Ulhas Mandlik, 35, a power- loom owner from Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra, and his mother were
homeward-bound one evening when heavy rain forced them to take shelter beneath a bridge. Not far
away, a small group of labourers huddled together under a part of the cement housing above a 16
metre deep well used to pump water for irrigation.

Suddenly, Mandlik and his mother heard the labourers scream. When the two got to the well, they
were told that a five year old boy named Hariya had fallen in through a side opening in the structure.
Ignoring his mother’s fears, Mandlik quickly knotted together lengths of flimsy rope belonging to the
labourers and asked them to lower him into the dark well. “I hope the rope holds,” he thought. As he
descended, Mandlik noticed the metal rungs on the wall of the well. He grabbed hold of one and
started climbing down, when he saw the boy clinging to a pipe running up the well’s centre. Grabbing
the child, Mandlik started to climb praying that the old rungs wouldn’t give away and plunge them
both into the churning water below. Their luck held and within a few minutes, Mandlik clambered to
ground level and handed over Hariya to his sobbing father.

The man fell at Mandlik’s feet and offered him some money as a reward. Refusing the cash, Mandlik
took Hariya and his family to a nearby eatery and offered them steaming tea to warm them up. Several
organisations have honoured Mandlik for his bravery and presence of mind on that wet day three
years ago. “i am happy I was at the right place at that right time,” he says,” and was able to return a
little boy to his family.”

a. Ulhas Mandlik was a ______________________________________________.

b. Ulhas Mandlik and his mother forced to take shelter beneath the bridge because of

(i) storm (ii)heavy rain (iii) enemy (iv) traffic

c. Hariya’s father offered Mandlik ____________as he rescued his son.

d. How did Mandlik respond when organisations facilitate him for his act of bravery?

e. ___________ first drew Ulhas and his mother to the well.

f. Ulhas’ mother’s fears really associated with _____________________________________.

g. What kind of a person do you think Ulhas was?

h. The emotion that Hariya’s father expressed on receiving his son : ____________________.

Q. 2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Today, change is inevitable in all sphere of life and we are required to face the challenges of the
changes to achieve our goals and objectives. To change in our attitudes and mindsets towards the
youth who constitutes more than fifty per cent of our population is a must.
Unfortunately, this highly potential and vibrant resource has not been effectively and productively
utilised, resulting in generation gaps which are unbridgeable. It is our onerous duty to bring them in
mainstream in the task of national development and reconstruction to take the nation to resplendence
and glory in the new millennium. The building of the nation is possible only through the process of all
round development and harnessing of the energies of our youth.

Our new generation should feel inspired by great luminaries, such as, Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya
Tilak, Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda and others who this country is proud to have
produced.

In the present scenario of criminalisation of politics, increasing violence and widespread erosion of
cultural and social values dividing the country in the name of religion and caste, rising narrow walls
of disintegration and drifting us apart, the youth should be saved from choosing a wrong path. We
know that today’s youngsters are the nation’s future.

It is most important to develop in them the spirit of nationality and love foe the country and, thus, give
a new dimension to the national growth.

The youth of today can prove to be no less patriotic, productive and value oriented than their
predecessors, given the required impetus, opportunities and confidence in their ability. With this goes
the “Freedom of thought and Experience”.

a. How can we achieve our goals and objectives?

b. How is the building of the nation possible?

c. What is wrong with the present scenario in the country?

d. Why should we change our attitudes and mindset towards the youth?

e. Find the synonyms of the following from the passage.

(i) inescapable/unavoidable (ii) A period of time consisting of one thousand years

SECTION- B (WRITING & GRAMMAR)

Q.3. You have recently started teaching poor children as a project of your value education. It was a
satisfying experience .You understood the need of impart free education to the illiterate people.
Write an article on the topic “Each One, Teach One” in 100-120 words.

Or

Due to heavy rains there has been a severe flood in your area. Many people have lost their houses
and are now living in a refugee camp. Life is very difficult here. You and your family members too
are living in one of these makeshift camps. One day before going to bed you decide to write a few
lines expressing your feelings about the situation. Write your diary entry in about 100-120 words.

Q.4. Write a story in about 200-250 words using the clues given below. Give a suitable title.

Enjoy going for a long walks-------visit to Dehradun------huge forest------ taking shortcut through the
woods----a tree toppled pinning me underneath ------.
Q.5. Read the following conversation given below and complete the passage that follows:

Seema : Are you going to attend Deepti’s marriage?

Preeti : I have an interview tomorrow. So I’ll not be able to go.

Seema : The function is at 12 O’clock.

Preeti : Then, maybe I can come after the interview.

Seema : That is a good idea.

Seema asked Preeti (a) ____________________ deepti’s marriage. Preeti replied that (b) _________

So she would not able to go. Seema said that (c) ______________ . Preeti hoped that she (d)______
_______________ which Seema thought was a good idea.

Q.6. The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Underline the error
and write the correct one in the given passage:

Correction

Even if Indians have a long history (a) __________

Of them, they have the poor (b) __________

Knowledge of maintaining homes, (c) __________

Toilets, draperies on fridges. (d) __________

Q.7. Rearrange the following to form meaningful sentences:

a. Sun/ of the/is/the/fire/spirit

b. purest/fire is/ on the Earth ,/ the/ of all elements

c. fire/and/human beings/for cooking/forging/ploughs and swords/use

d. Earth/Prometheus/use/fire/human/brought/for/to/down

SECTION- C (LITERATURE)

Q.8. Read the given extract and answer the following questions:

Tommy screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie”. The teacher didn’t live in the
house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.

a. Where did the teacher teach? (i) in school (ii) at home (iii) at college (iv) in the playground

b. How was the old school different from Margie’s school?

(i) In the old school, there was no teacher.

(ii) The teachers were machines in old schools.

(iv) The old school was not a separate building.

c. Why did Tommy scream with laughter?

(i) Margie did not have any idea about old human teacher.

(ii) Tommy had a bad habit to laugh.

(iii) Tommy was making fun of Margie.

(iv)Tommy was saying about her mechanical teacher and made fun of him.

d. Pick out a word from the passage which is antonym of “ordinary”

(i) scream (ii) special (iii) much (iv) laugh

OR

“This requires some little reflection;

Perhaps on the whole it might bring me luck,

And there seems but one objection,

Which is, if you’lllet me speak so bold,

Your feet are unpleasantlywet and cold, and would probably give me the roo-

Matiz!” said the Kangaroo.

a.What would bring luck to the Kangaroo?

(i) Taking the duck along with him

(ii) Ferrying alone around the world

(iii) Diving deep into the water.

(iv) Floating on water without swimming

b. What objection did Kangaroo make to the duck?

(i) The duck will not talk

(ii) The duck will not keep his feet wet

(iii) The duck will not drink

(iv) The duck will not dance on the back

c. Which word in the extract is similar to “damp”?

d. What was Kangaroo worried about?

(i) Hopping (ii) Drowning (iii) Duck (iv) Getting cold

Q.9. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words: (Any Five)

a. How did the author get Bruno?

b. How can we say that there is a common life in every part of the land? (No Men are Foreign)

c. In what way is Ishwaran an assest to Mahendra?

d. Why did Sergei threaten to call the police?

e. Why did Maria not retaliate against the humiliation at the hands of the other athletes?

f. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A?

g. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?

Q. 10. Answer the following question in 100-120 words:

Determination is necessary for success. Do you agree? Justify with reference to the life of Sarapova.

Or

India is a land of many religions, castes and creed, but we find here unity in diversity. How does the
lesson ‘My Childhood’ reflect it?

Q.11. Answer the question in about 100-120 words:

‘The Last Leaf’ is the story of supreme sacrifice. Discuss.

Or

True happiness is found only in making others happy. Comment with reference to the story ‘The
happy Prince’.