New Digamber Public School

First Term Examination (2023-24)

Grade: 9 (English)
18.09.2023
Time Allowed: 3 hrs. Max. Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections- READING, GRAMMAR, & WRITING
and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

Section A: Reading Skills (20 marks)

Reading Comprehension through Unseen Passages
Q 1. Read the following text. 10 m
1. Hobbies help us to grow as a person. The best way to have a new hobby is to
try something new. All of us are unique, and this is the reason why our hobbies
and interests are different. Once we find an activity, we are passionate about,
we can explore that activity more. When you get hooked, you will realize that
your hobby has become an integral part of your life. Having a hobby that we
enjoy brings us joy and refreshes us. Hobbies help us to manage our leisure
and unplanned time more productively. It also offers you the opportunity to
learn new skills in your work. But these are not the only benefits of having a
hobby.
2. It feels great to be skilled and good at something, doesn’t it? And this is what
that makes you confident. It can take some time to develop your hobby so that
you may be able to tell that you are skilled. But, the journey of experiencing
your hobby is very rewarding in itself. With the exposure to different types of
activities these days, it doesn’t matter which activity you choose. Whether you
are pursuing a craft, sports, puzzles, or skill development, your hobby should
be a diversion and a passion. Simultaneously, if your hobby gives you a sense
of purpose, then you will be more confident about challenging yourself in your
hobby and help you prepare for learning new things at work.
3. Hobbies give you an opportunity to enhance your life. Hobbies allow you to de-
stress yourself while remaining mentally productive. Having hobbies promote
better health and may lower the risk of having high blood pressure. Enjoying a
few hours of your hobby a week can also reduce the risk of depression and
dementia. Hobbies refocus your mind on to something that you enjoy doing.
Hobbies that include physical activities create chemical changes in your body
that help to reduce stress.
4. Even if it doesn’t involve physical activities, you can still reap the benefits of
having a hobby. Getting a short break from work and doing something you are
passionate about can rejuvenate your mind and help prepare you to handle
challenges in the future in a better way.
5. Hobbies may provide an opportunity for you to socialize with people and that
can be an additional benefit for your overall well-being. You can connect with
people who enjoy doing the same things that you do. You can meet new
people, discuss your hobby and get connected to a bigger circle that may even
help you turn your hobby into your profession. The internet provides numerous
groups and forums to connect with people that enjoy doing the same things
that you want to do.
6. Some hobbies require creativity and if you develop creativity through your
hobby, it can be beneficial. Creativity can help you experience new things at
school and work. The skill of being creative is essential in today’s world.
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
i. What is the tone of the writer in the given lines from para 5 of the 1
passage.
Hobbies may provide an opportunity for you to socialize with people
and that can be an additional benefit for your overall well-being.
ii. List any two benefits of having a hobby. Rationalize your response in 2
about 40 words.
iii. Complete the sentence appropriately. 1
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 No matter which sort of hobby you are pursuing, be it a craft, sports,
puzzles, or skill development, your hobby should be____________
iv. Complete the sentence appropriately. 1
The hobby becomes an integral part of the life when ____________
v. What is the message conveyed by Raj’s experience, in the following 1
case?
Raj spends hours to socialize with people, discuss his hobby and gets
connected to bigger circle.
vi. Based on the reading of the passage, examine in 40 words, how the 2
hobby rejuvenates the mind.
vii. The following lines display an example of Hobby. State whether it is 1
TRUE or FALSE.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh! I kept the first for another day!
viii. The passage includes some words, following is the list of the words 1
with their opposites. From the sets (a)- (e) below, identify two sets of
antonyms:
a. Realize- misunderstand b. explore- travel
over
c. additional – supplementary d. rejuvenate-
extinguish
e. beneficial- helpful
Q 2. Read the following text. 10
1. Elephant babies like coconut oil. This discovery has saved the life of hundreds
of orphaned, unweaned elephants, left behind when their mothers were killed,
victims of the ivory wars that have catastrophically reduced elephant
population across Africa.
2. The discovery came after two decades of efforts by the renowned conservationist
Daphne Sheldrick, who has died aged 83. She devoted most of her life rescuing
young elephants and releasing them back into the wild.
3. When she first made attempts to keep the orphaned babies alive, often at one
or two years old, with other milk sources, they remained malnourished and
faded into death. It was only after trying every combination she could find that
she hit on one baby milk formula from Europe, which contained coconut oil that
seemed to work. She and the elephants never looked back, and now more than
230 elephants in Kenya and many others in Asia and other parts of Africa, are
alive, and mostly in the wild, thanks to her hand rearing.

4. Her work grew from her care of orphaned elephants found by her husband,
David Sheldrick, chief warden at the Tsavo National Park in Kenya in the 1960s.
By the time her sanctuary was well established, in the late 70s and 80s, each
elephant had its own stall, as otherwise they would disturb one another, was
bottle- fed every three hours, and was given blankets, raincoats and sunscreen
as needed. A keeper slept with each animal under a year old, alternating lest
the babies grow too dependent.
Often the elephants arrived traumatized, having experienced the lethal
violence and cruelty of poaching. It was crucial, in her view, to recognize their
grief and help them to overcome it. “They are emotionally human animals”,
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 she told journalists. “You have to think in human terms. How does a child feel
when it has lost its whole family and is suddenly in the hands of the enemy”?
5. Throughout her life, Sheldrick championed the ability of elephants to
communicate and their capacity for feeling. Once, she recounted, a female
wrenched the tusks from a newly killed bull elephant and threw them into the
jungle, before the eyes of the poachers.
Answer the following questions based on the passage above.
i. Complete the following analogy appropriately, based on your 1
understanding of para 4.
Each elephant had its own stall______________
ii. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/phrase from 1
para 2:
critical: crucial:: __________: eminent
iii. Justify the following, in about 40 words. 2
You have to think in human terms.
iv. 1

Select the chart that appropriately represents the workload of the

conservationist Daphne Sheldrick through the given years, as per
Para 3.

a. Option 1 b. Option 2 c. Option 3 d. Option 4

v. Substitute the word ‘trying’ with ONE WORD similar in meaning, in 1

the following, sentence from para 3.
It was only after trying every combination she could find that she
hit on one baby milk formula from Europe, which contained
coconut oil that seemed to work.
vi. What do you understand by the term ‘poaching’? 1
vii. List any two attempts made by Daphne Sheldrick to keep the 2
orphaned elephant babies alive.
viii. Analyze the data given and suggest the year in which the maximum 1
number of elephants were rescued.
SECTION B: WRITING SKILLS AND GRAMMAR (20 MARKS)

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 GRAMMAR 10
Q 3. Complete ANY TEN of twelve of the following tasks, as 1x10
directed.
i. Abhilash and Neha had a conversation about the inauguration of 1
Neha’s Dance Academy. Report Abhilash’s question.
Is your best friend helping you in this venture?
ii. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket, 1
for the given portion of a letter:

Dear Sir

This is with reference to committee’s letter of recommendation that

__________ (highlight) the nominations for ‘Safe Residential Area’
award for this current area.
iii. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option. 1
Neither of the arguments__________ valid.
a. are b. is
c. were d. None of the above

iv. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate verbs. 1

The crew _____ work at the crack of dawn. Each of its members _____
for three hours before taking a break.
a. begin, work b. begins, work
b. begin, works d. begins, works
v. Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence below. 1
She is highly creative and likes to work at her own pace. I doubt
whether she________ cope with the stress of a corporate job.
a. Could have to b. will be able to
b. May not have to d. must not be able to
vi. Complete the line from a poem on ‘Dreams’, by filling the blank with 1
the correct option.
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken – winged bird
That _________ fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is barren field
Frozen with snow.
a. cannot b. must c. will d.
mustn’t
vii. Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction. 1
India’s first lunar exploration mission was called Chandrayaan. The
ISRO launched him on October 22, 2008. Chandrayaan is Sanskrit for
‘moon vehicle’.
Option No. Error correction
A was is
B is was
C him it
D for of
viii. Rewrite the sentence using the tense given in the bracket. 1
Have you thought about the matter? (Present continuous tense)

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 ix. Identify the error on a shop’s hoarding and supply the correction, for 1
the following purchase offer:
TBZ JEWELLERS. INDORE, MADHYA
PRADESH
GREAT OFFER! HEAVY discount on diamond and
platinum jewellery in the occasion of Diwali Festival.

Use the given format for your response

Error Correction

x. Read the conversation between father and son and complete the 1
sentence by reporting son’s reply correctly.
Father: Why did you go to the market today?
Son: I had to buy some material to do my project.
Father asked his son why he had gone to the market that day. Son
replied that _____________________
xi. Choose the option that completes the sentence below correctly. 1
She had already begun eating her dinner by the time I __________
there.
a. reached b. had reached
c. was reaching d. had been reaching
xii. Complete the given narrative, by filling in the blank with the correct 1
option:
As William would be standing on the shore, looking out at the lake, a
feeling of tranquility and peace ________________ him.
a. will surround b. had surrounded
him
c. would have surrounded d. surrounded
WRITING 10
Note: All details presented in the questions are imaginary
and created for assessment purpose.
Q 4. On your last Cruiser Liner travel you got a chance to sit beside a 5
A famous person, a celebrity. Using the clues given below, write a
descriptive paragraph on him/her in about 120 words.

 Who was the person?

 What was striking about the looks, mannerisms, dress, etc.?
 How was the person’s attitude- arrogant, friendly, aloof, or
rude?
 Did the experience change in your perception or did it confirm
your assumptions about him/her?
OR
Q 4. One afternoon you reached home from school and found the door of
B your house unlocked and on entering you were shocked to see it in
total disarray. You called out but got no answer. Write a descriptive
paragraph in about 120 words giving in detail what you saw, the
reason behind your house being in total disarray and how you found
your family. Also, how the experience ended and what impact it had
on your life.
Q 5. Given below is the beginning of a story. Complete it in about 120 5
A words and provide a title to it.
‘Whenever John goes to Uncle Sam's house, he feels
something different. He senses that Neil, Uncle Sam’s son,
has some supernatural powers. Whenever he’s ………….’
OR
Q5. B Recently you were moved by the picture given below which gave the
message “Happiness doesn’t need high tech gadgets. You are only as
happy as you choose to be”. Make a diary entry and express your
feelings in about 120 words. You are Raj/Simran.
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 SECTION D
LITERATURE TEXTBOOK & SUPPLEMENTARY READING TEXT (40 MARKS)
Q 6. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY 5
ONE of the two, given.
A. He is leaning over a desk covered with papers, and in the glass by his
side there is a bunch of withered violets. His hair is brown and crisp,
and his lips are red as a pomegranate, and he has large and dreamy
eyes. He is trying to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre, but
he is too cold to write any more. There is no fire in the grate, and
hunger has made him faint.”
i. Why is it fair to say that Happy Prince’s tone, when he says “There is 2
no fire in the grate, and hunger has made him faint.”, is worrying and
concerned? Answer in about 40 words.
ii. Read the following descriptions (a)-(d) and identify which one 1
correctly corresponds to the extract.
a. A debate is a formal discussion on a particular topic, usually
with two or more people presenting different viewpoints and
arguments
b. A soliloquy is a speech given by a character alone on stage,
which reveals their innermost thoughts and feelings to the
audience.
c. An aside is a brief comment or remark made by a character
directly to the audience, which is not intended to be heard by
other characters on stage.
d. Conversation-a talk, especially an informal one, between two
or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged.
iii. Who spoke the words in the above extract and to whom? 1
iv. The phrase ‘bunch of withered violets’ means 1
a. drying and decaying b. breaking from inside
c. to shiver d. None of these
OR
B. He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools
with dials and wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then
took the teacher apart. Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to
put it together again, but he knew how all right and after an hour or
so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on
which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked.
i. State any one inference about County inspector from the given 2
context. Elaborate in about 40 words.
Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but
he knew how all right.
ii. Select the correct option for ASSERTION and REASON 1
STATEMENTS
ASSERTIO Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it
N together again.
REASON She didn’t like to study with mechanical teacher.

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 a. Both A and R are true.
b. A is true and R is false.
c. A would not be possible without R.
d. Both A and R are false.
iii. State TRUE or FALSE. 1
None of the terms (a) - (d) below, can be applied to the statement –
Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together.
a. A hypothesis - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon.
b. An assumption - something that is taken for granted or assumed
to be true without proof.
c. A premise - a proposition that forms the basis of an argument
d. A theory - a well-substantiated explanation for a natural
phenomenon.
iv. Select the correct option for (1) and (2) 1

STATEMENTS
1. The mechanical teacher was repaired within an hour.
2. Margie’s mother had called the County Inspector.

a. (1) and (2) are true and (2) is the correct explanation of (1).
b. (1) and (2) are true but 2 is not the correct explanation of (1).
c. (1) is false but (2) is true.
d. (1) is true but (2) is false.
Q 7. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY 5
ONE of the two, given.
A. When the humid shadows hover
Over all the starry spheres
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears,
What a bliss to press the pillow
Of a cottage-chamber bed
And lie listening to the patter
Of the soft rain overhead!
i. Give two examples of Alliteration from the above stanza. 1
ii. What does ‘melancholy darkness’ signify here? Answer in about 40 2
words.
iii. Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the extract 1
___________: misery: mournful: gladsome
iv. What does the phrase ‘humid shadows’ refer to? 1
OR
B. And I shall have some peace there,
for peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to
Where the Cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer
and noon a purple glow
And evenings full of the linnet’s wings.
i. Find a word from the extract that means ‘weak, faint, unsteady light’. 1
a. Slow b. glimmer c. glow d. veils
ii. How does the poet describe the midnight and noon of this place? 2
Answer in about 40 words.
iii. Identify the figure of speech in the second line of the stanza 1
a. Metaphor b. Personification
c. Simile d. Transferred epithet

iv. The stanza is rich with different insects and birds. Which one would 1
you identify as ‘Linnet’?

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 a. Option 1 b. Option 2
c. Option 3 d. Option 4
Q 8. Answer ANY FOUR of the following five questions, in about 40- 4x3=1
50 words. 2
i. Do you think Kezia’s father did right by beating her with a ruler? 3
ii. Which were the most beautiful towns for Bismillah Khan? Why was it 3
so?
iii. Ron Forbes showed the way to Evelyn Glennie but she herself also 3
devised ways to achieve her goal of learning music. What were they?
iv. Greed is a quality which God does not like. Elaborate with reference to 3
the poem ‘The Legend of the Northland’.
v. As he looked at himself in the mirror, which two ‘important’ and ‘earth 3
shaking’ decisions did the doctor make?

Q 9. Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions, in about 2x3=6

40-50 words.
i. Give an alternate conclusion to the story ‘The Adventures of Toto’. 3
ii. Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up 3
for the absence of a TV in Mahendra’s living quarters?
iii. How important is it to take sensible decision and seek the help of wise 3
people while doing so? Elaborate with reference to the chapter ‘In
the Kingdom of the Fools’.

Q 10. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100- 1x6=6
120 words.
A. Suppose you are the Prime Minister of India and you have to address
the student gathering from the different schools of India. The poet of
‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ talks to you and urges you to stress on
how true happiness and peace come to those who return to their
native land. Also he wants you to make the people think about the
development of their native land. Prepare the speech draft in not
more than 120 words with reference to the same.
You may begin this way:
Good morning, everyone. Today, I'd like to stress on a very important
aspect of life that the real happiness is in serving your own nation.

You may end this way. To conclude, I’d like to say that ... Thank you
OR
B. Imagine the poet of ‘The Road Not Taken’ meets the poet
Subramania Bharati of the poem ‘Wind’. They discuss about the
choices a person makes in the life. They also talked about the
problems and obstacles faced at various junctures of life. Develop a
conversation between Robert Frost and Subramania Bharati and write
FIVE sets (except the given one). You may begin like this----------

Robert: Well Sir! Choices we make in life make a huge difference.

Bharati: That’s true! We should be strong enough to face all the
hardships of life with courage………………

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 Q 11. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 1x6=6
100- 120 words.
A. “A full deep cry rose within his dry throat and with a sudden jerk of his
body he ran from where he stood, crying in real fear”. Losing one’s
parents is the utmost grief. Write a diary entry expressing how grave
is the grief when a small child like you loses his parents with
reference to the chapter ‘The Lost Child’.
OR
B. The swallow dies in the end and the laden heart of the prince snaps.
Imagine that Happy Prince and the swallow meet God in the heaven
and are sad.
a. What might Happy Prince share about his experience?
b. How God would have consoled him?

*** All the Best ***

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