ENGLISH PAPER 1 (LANGUAGE) Maximum Marks: 80 Time Allotted: Three Hours Reading Time: Additional Fifteen minutes Instructions to Candidates > You are allowed additional 15 minutes for only reading the question paper. ‘You must NOT start writing during reading time. This question paper has 7 printed pages It has four questions in all. Answer all questions. You are advised to spend not more than 45 minutes on Question 1, 55 minutes on Question 2, 30 minutes on Question 3 and 50 minutes ‘on Question 4, ‘You should begin each answer on a fresh page. The intended marks for questions are given in brackets [ ]. VVVVY vv Instruction to Supervising Examiner » Kindly read aloud the Instructions given above to all the candidates present in the examination hall. ISC SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER 2025 1Question 1 [20] Write a composition (in approximately 400 — 450 words) on any one of the following subjects, (You are reminded that you will be rewarded for the orderly and coherent presentation of the matter, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar.) (i) Youhad to go on a train journey with your family. On reaching the railway station, you discovered that your train was delayed by two hours. Describe how you spent those two hours, detailing what you saw, the sounds you heard, and the interactions you had with the people around you. Express your feelings when you saw the train finally approaching the station. (ii) During the lunch break, a surprising sight unfolded as a monkey entered your school campus. Narrate your experience as you took charge and guided junior students to their classrooms ensuring their safety. iii) Parents should not influence their children when choosing the subjects they wish to study. Argue either FOR or AGAINST the given statement. (iv) Life (v) You become what you read, Present your reflections on this statement. (vi) Write an original short story that ends with the following words: .. That is when they realised that sometimes, the most extraordinary stories begin with the simplest of moments. Question 2 (i) As the Head of Environmental Initiatives at school, you have to deliver a speech [15] ‘on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5‘, Write a speech following the guidelines given below: Greeting or salutation and purpose — the importance of World Environment Day — key issues such as climate change, and pollution — the role of students in fostering a sense of environmental responsibility — concrete steps required towards a more sustainable and an eco-friendly lifestyle — strong call for action. (ii) As the school leader, you have been given the responsibility of organising a school [10] trip for the students of classes XI and XII to a place of historical importance. Write proposal in about 150 words stating the steps you would take to successfully organise the trip. ISC SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER 2025Question 3 Answer subparts (i), (i) and (ii). (i) Rewrite the following sentences according to the instruetions given after each of [5] them in brackets. (a) don't know Helen very much; nevertheless, I like her. ) (b) ‘They opened the window because they did not want the smoke to go into the kitchen. (Begin: In spite of (Use: so... that) (©) Chennai is bigger than most other Indian cities. (End: ......Chennai.) (@) He was so old that he could be my grandfather. (Use...cnough....) (©) The judge said to the prosecutor, “Do you agree with the arguments presented yesterday?” (Begin: The judge asked. ii) In the following sentences, replace the INCORRECT underlined words to make [5] the sentences meaningful and grammatically correct. Do not copy the sentences. (a) The teacher handed down the report cards. (b) She handed in the business to her son. (c) The Minister gave off the prizes. (d) The doctor gave away hope when she fell into a coma. (©) Thad to pull over a tough situation to meet the project deadline. (8) When will the Shatabdi Express pull up? (g) Some seats are set by for the handicapped. (h) We immediately set forth fixing the roof. ISC SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER 2025 3(i) He ran around problems while trying to fix the computer. (i) He ran into President during the elections last year. (iii) Fill in the blanks in the passage given below with the appropriate form of the verb [5] given in brackets. Do not write the passage but write the verbs in the correct order. Last summer, Emily had been working tirelessly on her garden. She a (plant) a variety of flowers, 2) (envision) a vibrant and colourful display. Every morning, she would spend hours tending to the blossoms, ensuring they were thriving under the warm sun. One day, while she (3) (admire) her handiwork, she noticed a rare butterfly that had landed on one of the flowers. She had never seen such a beautiful specimen before. Excitedly, Emily ran into the house to grab her camera, (4) (hope) to capture the fleeting moment. By the time she returned, the butterfly, (5) (fly) away. Disappointed, Emily (6) (realise) that she had missed the opportunity. However, the memory of that elusive butterfly lingered in her mind, and she decided (7) (create) a butterfly-friendly comer in her garden. Months later, as Emily walked through her garden, she saw a familiar flutter of wings. The rare butterfly had returned, (8) (draw) by the blossoms that had bloomed since their last encounter. Grateful for the second chance, Emily (9) (capture) the moment on her camera, cherishing the beauty that (10) (elude) her once before. Question 4 Read the passage given below and answer the questions (i), (ii) and (iii) that follow. (1) “Can Isee the Manager?” I said, and added solemnly, “Alone.” I don't know why I said “Alone.” “Certainly,” said the accountant and fetched him. (2) The Manager was a grave, calm man. I held my fifty-six dollars clutched in a crumpled ball in my pocket. “Are you the Manager?” I asked. God knows I did not doubt it. 5 “Yes,” he said. “Can Tsee you .... alone?” I asked, ISC SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER 2025 4(3) The Manager looked at me in some alarm. He felt that I had an awful secret to reveal, “Come in here,” he said, and led the way to a private room, He tumed the key in 10 the lock. “We are safe from interruption here,” he said; “Sit down.” We both sat down and looked at each other. I found no voice to speak. “You are one of Pinkerton’s men, I presume,” he said. (4) He had gathered from my mysterious manner that I was a detective. 1 knew what 15 he was thinking, and it made me worse. “No, not from Pinkerton’s,” I said, seeming to imply that I came from a rival agency. “To tell the truth,” I went on, as if I had been prompted to lie about it, “Lam not a detective at all. I have come to open an account, I intend to keep al my money in this bank.” 20 The Manager looked relieved but still serious; he concluded now that I was a son of Baron Rothschild or a young Gould. “A large account, I suppose,” he said. “Fairly large,” I whispered. “I propose to deposit fifty-six dollars now and fifty dollars a month regularly.” 25 (5) The Manager got up and opened the door. He called to the accountant. “Mr, Montgomery,” he said unkindly loud, “this gentleman is opening an account, he will deposit fifty-six dollars. Good morning.” I rose. A big iron door stood open at the side of the room, “Good morning,” I said, and stepped into the safe. “Come out,” said the Manager 30 coldly and showed me the other way. (6) {went up to the accountant’s wicket and poked the ball of money at him with a quick convulsive movement as if T were doing a conjuring trick. My face was ghastly pale “Here,” I said, “deposit it.” The tone of the words seemed to mean, “Letus do 35 this painful thing while the fit is on us.” He took the money and gave it to another clerk. (7) He made me write the sum on a slip and sign my name in a book. Ino longer knew what I was doing, The bank swam before my eyes. “Is it deposited?” I asked in a hollow, vibrating voice “It is,” said the accountant. “Then T want to draw a cheque.” My idea was to draw out six dollars of it for present use. Someone gave me a chequebook through a wicket and someone else began telling me how to write it 40 ISC SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER 2025out, The people in the bank had the impression that I was an invalid millionaire. 1 45 wrote something on the cheque and thrust it in at the clerk. He looked at it. (8) “What! Are you drawing it all out again?” he asked in surprise, Then I realised that I had written fifty-six instead of six. I was too far gone to reason now. I had a feeling that it was impossible to explain the thing. J had burned my boats. All the clerks had stopped writing to look at me. Reckless with misery, I made a 50 plunge. “Yes, the whole thing.” “You withdraw all your money from the bank?” very cent of it.” “Are you not going to deposit anymore?” said the clerk, astonished 35 fever.” (9) An idiot hope struck me that they might think something had insulted me while 1 was writing the cheque and that I had changed my mind. I made a wretched attempt to look like a man with a fearfully quick temper, (10) The clerk prepared to pay the money. 60 “How will you have it?” he said. This question came as a bolt from the blue. “What?” “How will you have it?” “Oh!"— I caught his meaning and answered without even trying to think— “in fifties.” 65 He gave me a fifty-dollar bill. “And the six?” he asked dryly. “In sixes,” | said. He gave it to me and I rushed out. As the big door swung behind me. I caught the echo of a roar of laughter that went 70 “up to the ceiling of the bank. Since then, I bank no more. I keep my money in cash in my trousers pocket and my savings in silver dollars in a sock. Adapted from: My Financial Career By Stephen Leacock () (@)_ Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the [3] underlined word or words in the following sentences. (1) The kind stranger went and got back the ball from where it had rolled into the bush. (2) [took offence at the expression on his face that was clearly meant to insinuate I was a liar. (3) The firm experienced a financial loss when the contract went to a contender who had just entered the business. ISC SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER 2025(b) For each of the words given below, choose the correct sentence that [3] uses the same word unchanged in spelling, but with a different meaning from that which it carries in the passage. (1) alarm (line 8) (A). The silence from the other end set off alarm bells in her head, (B) The pallor of his skin alarmed those standing around. (©) Iset my alarm for six o’clock but slept through it. (D) The sound of the approaching jets caused some alarm in the ‘war room, (2) wicket (line 44) (A) The wicketkeeper was the true saviour of the day for that one match, (B) The team wanted to bat while the wicket was still dry. (©) The man at the window handed us our tickets through the wicket. (D) The quick loss of wickets demoralised the team, (3) reason (line 48) (A) After the tragedy, his ability to reason is severely diminished, (B) They reasoned they could get better seats if they arrived early. (©) Recip ts of funds were selected without rhyme or reason. (D) We have every reason to celebrate. (ii) Answer the following questions as briefly as possible in your own words. (a) With reference to the passage, explain the meaning of the expression of the [2] “Thad burned my boats’? (b) Cite any two instances of the behaviour of the bank employees that indicate [2] the insignificance of a deposit of fifty-six dollars. (©) Why do you think the people in the bank thought of the narrator as an [2] “invalid millionaire” ? ii) Summarise why the narrator decided ‘to bank no more’(paragraphs 6 to 10) You [8] are required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words. Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. ISC SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER 2025 7ENGLISH PAPER 1 (LANGUAGE) ANSWER KEY Question 1 [20] The prescribed word limit must be adhered to. The essay should neither exceed the prescribed word limit nor fall short of it. (i) This is a descriptive topic. Candidates must use adjectives to describe what they saw, the sounds they heard and the interactions they had with the people at the railway station. They must also express how they felt when they saw the train finally approaching, Candidates must elaborate on the key ideas highlighted above. Please note that the essay must be written in past tense and in first person. (ii) This is a narrative topic. Candidates must begin the essay by referring to the situation given in the question and then narrate their experience when they took charge of the situation and helped the juniors safely back to their classes. Candidates are required to detail on the key points highlighted above. Please note that the essay must be written in past tense and in first person. (ii) This is an argumentative topic. Candidates are to present their arguments either for or against the topic. At least FOUR distinct arguments must be provided. Please note that sitting on the fence is not permitted. Candidates must state their stance clearly and preferably in the first paragraph. Once stated, the stance cannot be changed and supporting arguments must be given for the stance already taken. (iv) This is a one-word topic. Any type of composition, even a short story, may be written, as long as it is connected with the word. If a short story is written on the topic provided then it should contain all the elements of a short story, that are, plot, setting, characters and a logical ending. (v) This is a reflective topic. Candidates must provide their views on the given topic and substantiate them by citing examples. They may be for or against the topic or even sit on the fence. Please note that a short story cannot be written. (vi) This has to be an original short story. The story must end with the words given in the question. It must contain all the essential elements of a short story such as, plot, setting, characters, and the ending must be a logical one. Please note that the words given in the question CANNOT be changed in the essay. ISC SPECIMEN ANSWER KEY 2025Question 2 @ wi This is an exercise in amplification. As this is a Speech, it should include the salutation and the subscription. All points given in the question must be included and amplified. The proposal must have a short introduction of about 10 to 15 words, two objectives and four measures to be taken. These should be written in complete sentences and not in phrases. Tn + The title must be center-aligned. + The title should be around 5-6 words. HEADING/ANTRODUCTIO. + The heading should have a maximum of 2 sentences. + The student should introduce the topic here with just a glimpse of what or how the plan can benefit the institution, OBJECTIVES: + The objective should include EAST 2 POINTS, + The objectives should be written in the form of a paragraph, not point- wise. + The student is supposed to introduce 2 distinet reasons for such a proposal. It may be the benefits of it from the receiving end as well as the institution, LIST OF MEASURE: + The list of measures must be at least FOUR in number. * Itshould be a coherent plan of action that you propose to use while setting up your club, + Try to use the word ‘may’ in your list of measures as you propose the list of measures to be taken. The final decision is to be made by the head of the institution, + The words need to be formal and polite. CONCLUSIO! ‘+ One-liner statement to end your proposal. + Itshould politely request the head of the institution to accept your offer. [15] 110] ISC SPECIMEN ANSWER KEY 2025Question 3 @ (a) In spite of not knowing Helen very much, I like her. nH (b) They opened the window so that the smoke would not go into the kitchen. [1] (©) Very few Indian cities are as big as Chennai, iit} (d) He was old enough to be my grandfather. tn (©) The judge asked the prosecutor if he agreed with the arguments presented [1] the previous day. (ii) [4x10] (a) out (b) over (©) away (d) up (©) through © in (g) aside (h) about (into (i) for ii) [4x10] (a) had planted (b) envisioning (©) was admiring (@) hoping (e) had flown (Q) realised (g) to create (a) drawn (i) captured () had cluded ISC SPECIMEN ANSWER KEY 2025 3Question 4 0 @ (1) fetched tl (2) imply u (3) rival fl (b) Candidates are required to write either the correct option or the sentence given against the correct option. (1) (©) or set my alarm for six o'clock but slept through it. W (2) (B) or The team wanted to bat while the wicket was still dry. ru] (3) (D) or We have every reason to celebrate. WW (ii) Candidates are required to write the answers briefly and in their own words. (a) “Thad bumed my boats” means deciding or taking an action that makes it [2] impossible to return to the previous situation. Here, it signifies that the narrator could not go back on his decision. (b) + The manager asked the narrator to leave the safe and said a cold ‘Good [2] morning’ When the narrator was withdrawing the amount, the clerk sarcastically sked the denomination in which he wanted it. clerks stopped writing and looked at him. + The narrator's exit was followed by a roar of laughter. (c) The narrator was nervous. At the accountant’s window, he grew pale and |2y his movements became convulsive. As he wrote and signed his name, he became even more nervous, and his voice became hollow. When the chequebook was handed to him, somebody tried explaining how to write it out since it was obvious. He was physically distressed and fumbling. Since he wanted to make a withdrawal, people in the bank must have assumed he had a substantial deposit. (Candidates have to write any four points in brief.) ISC SPECIMEN ANSWER KEY 2025ii) The narrator wanted to ‘open 8 an account with fifty-six dollars. The Manager coldly instructed the accountant to help him! The narrator_|_unsteadily passed on his money to the accountant ‘who passed it to the clerk. The narrator had to write the down and sign. He to make a withdrawal | intending to withdraw six dollars. Tn his agitation, he withdrew the entire sum He could not reason or explain his ‘action 30 recklessly stated that he was withdrawing the entire ‘amount he had deposited. (Candidates must write the precis in a grid. Exceeding of word limit will be penalised.) ISC SPECIMEN ANSWER KEY 2025