ENGLISH – B
2015
PART – ‘A’
(New Syllabus)

Total Time : 3 Hours 15 minutes
Full Marks : 80

Instructions to the Candidates ;
1. Special credit will be given for answers which are brief and to the point.
2. Marks will be deducted for spelling mistakes, untidiness and bad handwriting.
3. Figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions.

PART – A (Marks: 60)

1. Answer any two of the following questions each in about 100 words:
6× 2=12

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👉HS English MCQ Mock Test👈

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(a) “I’m tired of people telling me I have a pretty face.” Who said this, to whom and when ? What did the person spoken to reply ? 1+1+2+2

(b) “Why don’t you say this to the people who come to you … ?” Who says this and to whom ? What is referred to by the word ‘this’? Why do the people come to the person spoken to? 1+1+3+1

(c) How did the Tsar nurse the wounded man ?

(d) “Eat some more, son.” Who is the speaker ? What is offered by the speaker to the listener? What picture of the speaker’s character is revealed in this line ? 1+1+4

2. Answer any two of the following questions each in about 100 words : 6×2=12

(a) Why does it take “much time to kill a tree” ? How is the tree finally killed ?

(b) Justify the title of the poem “Asleep in the Valley”.

(c) “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.” Who is the poet ? What is meant by ‘thy eternal summer’ ? How does the poet suggest that “thy eternal summer” shall never end ? 1+1+4

(d) Why does Keats feel that the poetry of earth is never dead ?

3. Answer any one of the following in about 100 words : 6×1=6

(a) What did the peasant tell Charandas about the famine in the village and the landlord’s role ? What did Charandas do to the landlord and to what end ? 1 + 1 + 2 + 2

(b) What is the function of song in the play?

(c) “Habib Tanvir tries to criticize our existing social and political setup through the play ‘Charandas Chor’. Discuss.

4. (a) Do as directed : 1×6=6

(i) Who doesn’t know Ramlal ? (Rewrite as an Assertive sentence)

Ans : Everybody knows Ramlal.

(ii) “You have already been answered”, said the hermit to the Tsar. (Turn into Indirect speech)

Ans : The hermit told the Tsar that he had already been answered.

(iii) I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes. (Turn into a Complex sentence)

Ans : I wanted a pair of suede shoes which was blue in colour.

(iv) The hermit was digging the ground. (Change the Voice)

Ans : The ground was being dug by the hermit.

(v) The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie. (Split into two Simple sentences)

Ans : The man had entered the compartment.

(vi) This is the best time. (Use the Positive degree of best)

Ans : There is no other time as good as this.

(b) Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and/or prepositions : 2 × 6 = 3

I have endeavoured ………(i)……… understand………(ii)………fundamental truths revealed ………(iii)………. me ………(iv)……. my father, and feel convinced that there exists ……….(v)……. divine power that can lift one up from confusion, misery, melancholy and failure and guide one ……..(vi)……. one’s true place.

Ans : (i) to (ii) the (iii) to (iv) by (v) a (vi) to

(c) Correct the error in the following sentence by replacing the underlined word with the right one from the options given below : 1

It could be a fascinated game, guessing what went on out there.

Ans : It could be a fascinating game, guessing what went out there.

[Options : fascination, fascinate, fascinating]

5. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow :

The country’s biggest inland lake, Chilka, connects with the Bay of Bengal through a narrow mouth, hence making it by nature a tropical lagoon. The lake is dotted with a number of picturesque islands bearing evocative names like the Honeymoon Island, Breakfast Island and Bird Island. Its beauty is further enhanced by its wide variety of aquatic fauna and resident and migratory birds. Its shores are the habitat of beautiful black bucks. The 19th century Oriya poet, Radhanath Roy, remarked that Chilka was truly a thing of beauty, a joy forever. The lake is surrounded by numerous hills. Its colour changes magnificently with the passing clouds and the sun’s position. The picture postcard beauty is enhanced by the hundreds of boats which set sail everyday, wafted by the breeze from the sea, the fishermen making a bountiful catch of prawn, mackerel and crab. Chilka wears a grand look specially in winter when it becomes home to exotic species of migratory birds arriving in large number from lands as far off as Siberia and Mongolia and from some other cold countries. There is a Goddess Kalijai temple, abode of its presiding deity, on a tiny island in Chilka. Another attraction is the island home of migratory birds called Nalabana. Visitors of the lake can reach the emerald green islands by motor launches of the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) stationed at Barkul and Rambha that are available on hire. Motor launches of the state revenue department are also available at nearby Balugaon. Besides, country boats can be hired from private operators at all these points.

(a) State whether the following statements are True or False. Write ‘T’ for True and ‘F’ for False. ( You need not write the sentences, write only the numbers ) 1 × 4=4

(i) Hills surround Chilka. (T)

(ii) On an island in Chilka, there is a temple. (T)

(iii) Chilka has no connection with the Bay of Bengal. (F)

(iv) Prawn, mackerel and crab are unavailable in Chilka. (F)

(b) Answer each of the following questions in about 30 words : 2 × 3 = 6

(i) Who spoke about Chilka and what did he say ? 1 + 1

Ans : The 19th century Oriya poet, Radhanath Roy spoke about Chilka and he remarked that Chilka was truiy a great place of beauty.

(ii) When does Chilka wear a grand look and why ? 1 + 1

Ans : Chilka wears a grand look when migratory birds of various species arrive there in winter.

(iii) How can a visitor explore the islands on Chilka ?

Ans : Visitors can visit and explore Chilka by hiring motor launches of the OTDC or the State Revenue Department or by country boats run by private operators.

6. (a) Recently your school organised a magic show. Write a report on it for the local periodical magazine. ( Word limit : 150 words ) 2+8=10

OR

(b) Write a letter to M. K. Electronics, Kolkata, requesting for repair or replacement of the M. K. TV Set which you had bought from them only 2 months ago as it has developed certain defects. (Word limit : 150 words ) 2 + 8=10

OR

(c) Write a precis of the following passage. Add a suitable title. 2 + 8 = 10

Man is inquisitive by nature. He seeks to know the unknown, to see the unseen. Books and pictures fail to give him full satisfaction; he wants to know, see with his own eyes. That is why he is so fond of travelling. There are various means used for travel — trains, cars, aeroplanes. Some even prefer to take sea cruises. But the best is to travel by cycle. This enables us to get in direct touch with all we pass through or meet. Travelling has a great educational value. It gives us first hand knowledge of the places through which we pass; their physical features, their people, their crops and minerals, their natural beauty. We can learn much about the manners and customs of different people. These are lessons more interesting and more effective than what we see on television or what we get from books.

We read about the majesty of the Himalayas and the vastness of the ocean, of the original tribes and the lives of the village people in the interior. But we cannot have any clear conception of them unless we see them with our own eyes. That is why educational tours are encouraged everywhere in today’s world.

Travelling gives us pleasure too. Even a short trip to an ordinary place relieves monotony and fills the mind with joy. We can go to a health resort and can recover our health. Thus travelling combines the pleasure of adventure with the joy of knowledge and experience. (250 words).

PART – B (Marks – 20)

1. Complete each of the following sentences, choosing, the correct option from the alternatives provided: 1 × 4 = 4

(i) The Tsar asked the hermit –
(a) one question;
(b) two questions;
(c) four questions;
(d) three questions.

Ans. (d) three questions

(ii) The lady picked up the boy from the street by holding his –
(a) trousers; (b) shirt front;
(c) wrist; (d) arm.

Ans. (b) shirt front

(iii) One of the forebears of Kalam’s mother was awarded by the British the title of –
(a) Bahadur; (b) Raibahadur;
(c) Padmashree; (d) Bharat Ratna.

Ans. (a) Bahadur

(iv) According to Ruskin Bond, the best time for visiting the hills is –
(a) September; (b) October;
(c) November; (d) December.

Ans. (b) October

2. Answer any four of the following questions, each in a complete sentence: 1×4 = 4

(i) Who was the high priest of Rameswaram temple ?

Ans : Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry was the high priest of Rameswaram temple.

(ii) In whom did Abdul Kalam’s father have an ideal helpmate ?

Ans : Abdul Kalam’s father had an ideal helpmate in his wife Ashiamma.

(iii) At which station did the blind girl get into the train ?

Ans : In the story” The Eyes Have It” the blind girl got into the train at Rohana.

(iv) Who would receive the blind girl at the destination ?

Ans : The aunt of the blind girl would receive her at Saharanpur, her destination.

(v) Where did the Tsar fall asleep ?

Ans : The Tsar fell asleep on the threshold of the hermit’s hut.

(vi) What was the hermit doing when the Tsar came to visit him ?

Ans : When the Tsar came to visit the hermit, the hermit was digging the ground in front of his hut.

(vii) What were there behind the screen in Mrs. Jones’s room ?

Ans : There was a kitchenette consisting gas-plate and ice-box behind the screen in Mrs. Jones’ room.

(viii) Why did Roger want to snatch the large purse of Mrs. Jones ?

Ans : Roger wanted to snatch the large purse of Mrs. Jones as he wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes.

3. Complete each of the following sentences, choosing the correct option from the alternatives provided: 1×4 = 4

(i) The smile of the soldier in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’ is –
(a) gentle; (b) witty;
(c) foolish; (d) cunning.

Ans. (a) gentle

(ii) The silence in The Poetry of Earth ‘has been wrought by –
(a) summer; (b) winter;
(c) frost; (d) rain.

Ans. (c) frost

(iii) “Miniature boughs” The word “boughs’ means –
(a) leaves; (b) roots;
(c) branches; (d) stems.

Ans. (c) branches

(iv) The eye of heaven ‘in Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 18 refers to –
(a) the sun; (b) the moon;
(c) the poet; (d) the clouds.

Ans. (a) the sun

4. Answer any four of the following questions, each in a complete sentence: 1×4= 4

(i) Who takes the lead in summer luxury ?

Ans : The grasshopper takes the lead in ‘summer luxury’ in Keats’s poem’ ‘The Poetry of Earth’.

(ii) What will make the beauty of the poet’s friend eternal ?

Ans : The eternal lines of the Shakespearean sonnet will immortalize the beauty and the youth of the poet’s friend.

(iii) ” A voice will run. ” – Whose voice is referred to here ?

Ans : The trilling of the grasshopper runs from hedge to hedge is referred here as ‘a voice’.

(iv) What shall death not brag in Shakespeare’s Sonnet No.18 ?

Ans : Death shall not brag about taking the poet’s friend in his shade.

(v) What do the ‘two red holes’ in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’ signify ?

Ans : The two red holes on the side of the soldier’s rib signify two fatal bullet wounds that caused the death of the soldier.

(vi) What according to Gieve Patel is the most sensitive part of a tree ?

Ans : According to Gieve Patel, the most sensitive part of a tree is its white and wet root.

(vii) Where are the feet of the soldier ?

Ans : The feet of the soldier lying asleep are among the wild flowers.

(viii) “Not so much pain will do it … What task does the word ‘it’ refer to ?

Ans : Here ‘it’ refers to the difficult task of killing a full grown tree.

5. Complete each of the following sentences, choosing the correct option from the alternatives provided: 1×4-4

(i) The smoker offered the guru –
(a) Cigarettes; (b) Bidis;
(c) Chillum; (d) Cigars.

Ans. (b) Bidis

(ii) The merchant’s wife in the play ‘Charandas Chor’ was from –
(a) Nandgaon; (b) Bhatgaon;
(c) Raigarh; (d) Pune.

Ans. (a) Nandgaon

(iii) The merchant’s wife got her ornaments made from –
(a) Raipur; (b) Raigaon
(c) Raigarh; (d) Junagarh.

Ans. (c) Raigarh

(iv) The amout of money that the Guru asked from the gambler as guru dakshina was –
(a) one rupee twenty – five paise;
(b) twenty – five paise;
(c) fifty paise;
(d) one rupee fifty paise.

Ans. (a) one rupee twenty – five paise

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