Sri Kumaran Children’s Home - CBSE

Half Yearly Examination 2019 - 2020

Class: IX Subject: English Language and Literature (184) Marks: 80
Date: 27.09.2019 Time: 3 Hrs.

General Instructions:
1. This paper is divided into three sections: A, B and C. All questions are compulsory.
2. Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary.
Read these instructions very carefully and follow them.
3. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

Section A – Reading Comprehension [20]

1. Read the passage given below carefully. [12]

i. It was the deep-rooted love and compassion that made an ordinary British nurse, Florence
Nightingale serve the wounded soldiers in the Crimean War so selflessly that she became
immortal in the pages of history as the ‘Lady With The Lamp’. It was the compassion and care
of an understanding heart that led Raja Ram Mohan Roy to fight for women’s rights and start a
movement to abolish the barbaric custom of Sati Pratha. It is compassion which moves us to
tears and impels us to help whenever we see a woman or child being assaulted.
ii. Compassion is a feeling, an emotion that arises when we are confronted with another’s
sufferings and feel motivated to relieve that suffering . It is the language of God that
ultimately guides us in fulfilling our duties towards mankind in the best possible manner.
Compassion is Mother Teresa whose entire life was devoted in helping the destitute, the ailing
and the impoverished unfortunates of society. This luminous messenger of God’s love once
quoted, “You have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can
never repay you.”
iii. Compassion never leads us astray. It is the foundation stone for moral behaviour. A seed of
compassion will always bloom into a morally right flower. Morality is the distinction between
what is wrong and what is right. It is the code of conduct that every human should follow. And
a heart full of compassion and love will never even think of harming others or doing
something wrong.

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words: [2x4=8]

a) How has the author defined compassion? How does it guide us?
b) According to Mother Teresa, when does our life become meaningful? What did she
devote her entire life to?
c) How does compassion help us to distinguish right from wrong?
d) Compassion neither observes geographical boundaries nor overlooks the suffering of
the people. Discuss.
e) Give another word from the passage which means the same as: [1x4=4]
i. Drives or urges to do something: (para 1)
ii. Came face to face with: (para 2)
iii. Influential/ contributory: (para 3)
iv. Off target: (para 3)

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 2. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: [8]

Tiger Trail at Mithunpur

i. It was around 4 a.m. when, despite the biting cold, Vijay Singh from Mithunpur Mouza village
in UP’s Sambhal district, had headed out to the fields. He never returned. Villagers found his
slippers, pajama, and mobile phone near a pond. Animal pugmarks had led the villagers to
Vijay or what was left of him, for when the villagers reached there his half-eaten body lay
inside the thicket of a sugarcane field. Frenzied villagers had scoured the surroundings till they
came in sight of the killer – a full grown tigress.
ii. Experts were baffled by this occurrence, for Mithunpur Monza has no forests anywhere near
the place. The closest tiger habitat to the village is Jim Corbett National Park, a good 120 km
away. Questions have thus been raised as to how it got there unseen.
iii. The answers were partially revealed when officials got clues from more shocking events that
followed. Tracked by forest officials and virtually cornered by villagers on two occasions, the
hunted tigeress began moving north towards the Corbett jungles. On the way she had claimed
four more lives in the course of the next fortnight. According to forest officials, it seemed the
tigress was moving almost in a straight line, as if directed by a compass.
iv. With GPS tracking devices it was found that the tigress had moved 120 km in 14 days, and
crossed not less than three national highways, three railway crossings and at least one river, as
also numerous village roads. That concludes that the tigress had travelled through 250 km of
human habitation and moved through sugarcane fields of the region quite undisturbed, till it
was harvesting season, in December. For the tigress, the sugarcane had been like tall
grasslands and as secure as the forest jungles. Besides, sugarcane also attracts wild pigs and
other animals which become prey for the tigeress. Confirming evidence of the tigress’
presence in the sugarcane, officials had found a clear spot in the middle of the cane field
which they conclude was probably its base.

a. What did the tigress do upon being tracked and cornered by officials? [1]
b. Describe the 120km long journey undertaken by the tigress. [1]
c. The tigress had moved through the sugarcane fields undisturbed till harvest season.
Why does the author say ‘undisturbed’ only till harvest reason? [1]
d. How did the sugarcane fields prove to be a good base for the tigress? [1]
e. What confirmed the tigress’ presence in the sugarcane field? [1]
f. From the passage, find the antonym of
i) Clearing [Para i] [1]
ii) Interrupted [Para iv] [1]
g. From the given passage, find the synonym of the phrase ‘leaving no stone unturned’
[Para i] [1]

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 Section – B [Writing and Grammar] [30]

3. Choose one of the two and answer in 120 – 150 words [8]
You are perturbed to see a concrete jungle mushrooming in and around Bangalore. Write an
article on the need to save the environment in our cities.
OR

You were a part of the audience at the interschool basketball and hand ball match. Describe
the match.

4. Choose one of the two prompts and write a story in 150 – 200 words. [10]

She looked down at him again and found the small face turned up to hers. His eyes very blue,
face round; he looked a healthy child………
OR
I finally stood on the shores of India. Words will never adequately describe my frenzied
feelings at this moment.

5. Fill in the blanks with one word each. [ ½ x 8 = 4]

Nearly 100 million years ago (i) _________the middle of what is now Mongolia, (ii) ____
occurred a series of events, which included a massive volcanic eruption. The ashes (iii)
________scattered over the wet soil of the land (iv) _____sticky mud. Meat eating dinosaurs
(v) ______ other creatures in the area (vi) ______for food met with an early and sudden death
(vii) _____they sank (viii) _______ in the mud.

6. The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the
incorrect word and correction against each line. [ ½ x 8 = 4]

Bernard was a writer or an eminent (a) __________ __________

policy maker. He firmly believes that the economy (b) __________ __________
of the colonies will be developed and (c) __________ __________
argued that the purpose of acquired colonies was (d) __________ __________
to making a profit. If the economy was developed (e) __________ __________
and the standard of living of the people improves, (f) __________ __________
they would buy most goods. As a consequence (g) __________ __________
the market would expand, leading to best (h) __________ __________
profits for the French business.

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7. Read the conversation and report it. [4]
Arun – I think someone has taken my shoes.
Basu – How can you be so sure?
Arun – Well they were here an hour ago.
Basu – Have you checked under the sofa?
Arun – I have.
Arun said that (a) ______________________. Basu (b) ___________________________.
Arun said (c) _________________________. Basu asked him if he had checked under the
sofa. Arun (d) _______________________ .
Section – C – Literature [30]

8. Choose any one of the extracts and answer the questions that follow: [4]
a) Now in memory comes my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers
Ere she left them till the dawn :
O ! feel her fond look on me
As I list to this refrain

i) When do the memories of his mother come to the poet?

ii) Describe the poet’s memories of his mother.
iii) What does ‘darling dreamers’ imply?
iv) The poet uses the word ‘refrain’ in the above lines. Why?

OR
b) Then she took a tiny scrap of dough
And rolled and rolled it flat;
And baked it thin as a wafer
But she couldn’t part with that.

i) What was baked wafer thin?

ii) Comment upon the repetition ‘rolled and rolled’.
iii) What was the woman trying to achieve by baking it thin?
iv) Why was she expected to ‘part’ with that?

9. Choose five of the following and answer in 30 – 40 words. [2 x 5 = 10]

(a) Describe the efforts taken by Einstein to show that he condemned nuclear warfare.
(b) Explain what happened to the little woman after St. Peter cursed her.
(c) ‘I looked into the mirror and smiled.’ And ‘……I smiled feebly at myself.’ Write a
short note on the two smiles.
(d) What was ironic about the ‘nice talk with Mother and Father’ that happened on
Sunday afternoon?

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 (e) What plea did the child finally make to his parents? Was his plea heard?
(f) Why was the city in a state of confusion? What plan did they come up with? (In the
Kingdom of Fools)
(g) Attempt a character sketch of the ticket – collector at Saharanpur.

10. Choose one of the two questions and answer in 120 – 150 words. [8]

Why was it said that Einstein was born ‘without any indication that he was destined for
greatness’?
OR

Kezias’ father’s attitude towards her had a profound impact on her personality. Elaborate with
reference to the story “The Little Girl”.

11. Choose one of the two questions and answer in 120 – 150 words. [8]

Ishwaran was determined to make his master believe his ghost story. How does he build his
story up to achieve this?
OR
Ruskin Bond said “If there is a part of the brain especially devoted to mischief, that
part was largely developed in Toto.” Why did he say so?

GOODLUCK 
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