P-1. 3- & 6-marks practice Questions.

Answer ANY FOUR of the following five questions, in about 40-50 words. 4×3=12

i. What were the destructions caused by the hailstorm? (A Letter to God)

Ans: It rained heavily and continuously, which later converted into a hailstorm. No
leaves remained on the trees and the cornfield was completely damaged. Even the
leaves of corn did not remain intact. The hailstorm had destroyed everything. The
night was a sorrowful one for Lencho.

ii. How did Anne Frank's friends behave just before the declaration of the exam
results? (From the Diary of Anne Frank)
Ans: Anne Frank's friends quaked in her boots just before the declaration of the
exam results. The reason was the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers were to
decide who would move up to the next class and who would not. Half of the class
made bets. Her friends, C.N. and Jacques, even staked their entire holiday savings
on their bets on whether they would pass or fail.

iii. What was the most fascinating thing for Valli? (Madam Rides the Bus)
Ans: The most fascinating thing for Valli was the bus. The bus looked very
mysterious to her, she thought that it travelled between her village and the nearest
town and brought new passengers every time. It was a new world for her, which
gave her unending joy and excitement.

iv. What message does the poet wish to convey through "The Ball Poem"?
Ans: Through this poem, the poet wishes to convey the futility of grieving over the
past. The memories are a treasure. The poet says that money and material things
and their losses do not matter. One has to learn to accept them as a part of life.

V. In the poem "How to Tell Wild Animals", how does the poet caution the reader
regarding the danger of animals?
Ans: The poet indirectly and in a humorous way cautions the readers against the
dangers involved in going near wild animals. As most wild animals like lions, tigers,
bears, crocodiles, hyenas, and chameleons are all beasts of prey and are always on
the lookout for victims, it may be dangerous to go very near them.

9. Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions, in about 40-50 words. 2×3=6

i. What happened at the ball? Was Matilda's dream fulfilled? (The Necklace)
Ans: Mme Loisel was greatly admired by everyone at the ball. She looked the
prettiest amongst all the women. All the guests wanted to be near her. She felt on
top of the world at the ball. The loss of the necklace spoiled the pleasure and made
her depressed.

ii. Is Max menacing or vulnerable? Comment with reference to "The Midnight Visitor".
Ans: Max is presented as menacing since he sneaks into Ausable's room and points
an automatic pistol at him and Fowler. Still, he is vulnerable because he gets waylaid
by Ausable and loses his life. If he had been actually menacing, he would have shot
Ausable as soon as the latter entered the room.

iii. Why did Bholi agree to the unsuitable match at first? (Bholi)
Ans: Bholi's consent for the marriage was not asked by anyone. She had to accept
the groom. When her father asked his mother about Bholi's reaction, she said Bholi
was 'witless' like a dumb cow and she will not say anything. However, later on, Bholi
rejected the groom because of his dowry demands.

10. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words.(6)

i. "I'll take the risk." The narrator did take the risk. What difficulties did he face? Who
do you think must have helped him? As a pilot what would you do in such a
situation? Take risk or take a wise decision? (Two Stories About Flying)
Ans: The storm clouds were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front
of the narrator across the sky. In spite of knowing that he could not fly up and over
them the narrator took the risk of flying straight into the storm. It was not at all safe.
He could not see anything outside the aeroplane. The old aeroplane jumped and
twisted in the air. The compass and the radio were dead. He was lost in the storm.
The desire to land safely was so strong that he imagined that there was another
plane and his pilot was guiding him. His will to reach England was so strong that he
guided himself. According to the lady in the Central Room, there was no other plane
flying that night. When he wanted to thank the pilot, the lady in the Control Room told
him that his was the only plane on the radar that night. So there had actually been no
one to help him except his own will. If 1, had been in a similar situation, in spite of
the will and determination of taking risks, I would not have taken such a rash
decision. I would have gone back to the nearest airport, which would have been the
safest decision

ii. The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement."

If you had to use the message of the above quote from Nelson Mandela (Nelson
Mandela Long Walk to Freedom) to portray the liberation of women and what it
signifies (The Trees), what would you include in it? Also, evaluate what we can take
from the notion.
Ans: Adrienne Rich's feminist poem 'The Trees' is a symbolic representation of
women breaking the shackles of patriarchy and making their own path in a man's
world. The trees, that signify women, had been indoors for this long and the forest of
mankind had been barren. There were no branches for the birds to sit on, no foliage
and greenery, just an empty wilderness. But the times changed and the trees
rebelled and broke the windows of their confinement and rushed out to heal the
world.

This can also be interpreted as an act of revolution, something very similar to Nelson
Mandela's struggle. The success achieved after such sacrifices cannot be taken for
granted. The freedom and liberation that the people of South Africa and the Trees
have fought for, is something that shall live on forever. What we must understand is
that this glorious achievement, that the future generations will savour, came at a
serious cost and must be valued as such.
11. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words. 6

i. Write a character sketch of Horace Danby. (A Question of Trust)

Ans: Horace Danby was about fifty years old, unmarried and lived with his
housekeeper. He was considered a good and respectable citizen. However, he was
not completely honest. He had a keen fondness for rare and expensive books. So,
he needed a great deal of money to buy his desired books. He started committing
thefts to meet his expenses. Horace Danby robbed just one safe every year.
Moreover, he stole only from those who had a lot of money. He was a very good
planner, who planned his robbery in a very systematic manner. He never thought of
hurting anybody. Therefore, he did not carry any weapon. He feared prison.
Therefore, he was submissive, rather than aggressive because of which the lady
outwitted him.

ii. What was the impact of the book 'The Travels of Monarch X' on Richard Ebright?
(The Making of a Scientist)

Ans: Richard Ebright had started collecting butterflies when he was in kindergarten.
So, to maintain his interest in this field in his later years, his mother had got him a
children's book called 'The Travels of Monarch X. This book had told how monarch
butterflies migrate to Central America. The impact of this book was so strong on
Ebright's mind that it opened the world of science for him. At the end of this book,
readers had been invited to help study butterfly migrations. They had been asked to
tag butterflies for research by Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart of the university of Toronto,
Canada. Ebright's mother wrote to Dr. Urquhart, and soon Ebright was also taking
part in the study by attaching light adhesive tags to the wings of the monarchs.
According to the research, anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send
the tag to Dr. Urquhart. Ultimately, it was Richard's fascination for butterflies that
opened the world of science to him. It also indirectly led to his theory on how cells
work.