English Question Paper of Madhyamik 2019
SECTION – A
READING COMPREHENSION
(SEEN)
1. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions:
“What have you written, Father?” Swami asked
apprehensively.
“Nothing for you. Give it to your headmaster and go to your
class.”
“Have you written anything about our teacher
Samuel?”
“Yes. Plenty of thing”
“What has he done, Father?”
“Everything is there in the letter. Give it to your
headmaster.”
Swami went to school feeling that he was the worst boy on
earth. His conscience bothered him. He wasn’t at all sure if his description of
Samuel had been accurate. He felt he had mixed up the real and the imagined.
Swami stopped on the roadside to make up his mind about
Samuel. Samuel was not such a bad man after all. Personally he was much more
friendly than the other teachers. Swam also felt Samuel had a special regard
for him.
Swami’s head was dizzy with confusion. He could not decide
if Samuel really deserved the allegations made against him in the letter. The
more he thought of Samuel, the more Swami grieved for him. To recall Samuel’s
dark face, his thin moustache, unshaven cheek and yellow coat filled
Swaminathan with sorrow.
A. Write the correct alternative to complete the
following sentences: 1×5=5
(a) Swami’s father wrote the letter to Swami’s
_____________
(i) friends
(ii) headmaster
(iii) teacher
(iv) mother
(b) The letter made Swami feel _____________
(i) happy
(ii) sad
(iii) excited
(iv) worried
(c) Swami stopped on his way to school to decide whether
Samuel was a/an _____________
(i) bad person
(ii) good and friendly person
(iii) honest person
(iv) dishonest person
(d) Swami felt dizzy because he was _____________
(i) excited
(ii) indifferent
(iii) afraid
(iv) puzzled
(e) The more Swami thought of Samuel the more _____________
(i) aggrieved he felt
(ii) cheerful he felt
(iii) disappointed he felt
(iv) angry he felt
B. Complete the following sentences with Information from
the text : 1×3=3
(i) Swami’s father asked him to
_____________
(ii) While going to school Swami felt _____________
(iii) Other teachers were not as _____________
C. Answer the following questions:
2×2=4
(i) Why did Swami’s conscience bother him?
(ii) How did Swami recall Samuel’s appearance?
2. Read the following poem and answer the questions that
follow:
Once I crept in an oakwood - I was looking for a stag.
I met an old woman there — all knobbly stick and rag.
She said: ‘I have your secret here inside my little bag.’
Then she began to cackle and I began to quake.
She opened up her little bag and I came twice awake —
Surrounded by a staring tribe and me tied to a stake.
They said ; ‘We are the oak-tress and your own true family.
We are chopped down, we are torn up, you do not blink an
eye.
Unless you make a promise now — now you are going to die.’
‘Whenever you see an oak-tree felled, swear now you will
plant two.
Unless you swear the black oak bark will wrinkle over you
And root you among the oaks where you were born but never
grew.’
This was my dream beneath the boughs, the dream that
altered me.
When I came out of the oakwood, back to human company,
My walk was the walk of a human child, but my heart was a
tree.
A. Write the correct alternative to complete the following
sentences: 1×4=4
(i) The young child met _____________
(a) a forester
(b) an old man
(c) an old woman
(d) a stag
(ii) The old woman was _____________
(a) very smart
(b) looking nervous
(c) richly dressed
(d) unsteady and poorly dressed
(iii) The oak trees complained that _____________
(a) the old woman cackled
(b) they are chopped down, torn up but the humans remain
Indifferent
(c) they are not watered everyday
(d) they are tied to a stake
(iv) A ‘staring tribe’ refers to _____________
(a) local inhabitants
(b) the primitive people
(c) homeless people
(d) the oak trees
B. State whether the following statements are ‘True’
or ‘False’. Write ‘T’ for True and ‘F’ for False In the boxes on the right-hand
side. Provide sentences/phrases/words In support of your answer: 2×2=4
(a) The oak trees told the child in his dream that whenever
an oak tree is cut down he should plant two oak saplings.
Supporting Statement :__________________________________
(b) When the child woke up from his dream he forgot all
about the oak trees.
Supporting Statement : _______________________________
READING COMPREHENSION
(UNSEEN)
3. Read the following passage and answer the questions that
follow:
It is a known fact that children generally emulate the
adults. When a child imitates an elder smoking by holding a pencil between
his/her tiny fingers, most of us find it quite cute. We fail to realise that
this harmless imitation often results in actual smoking when they grow up. So
it is time to take a pause and think about its consequences. According to WHO
data, tobacco kills more than seven million people each year. While more than
six million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, many
non-smokers die because they are exposed to second-hand
smoke.
Over eighty percent of individuals, who start smoking
during adolescence, will continue to smoke in adulthood, while one-third of
them will die prematurely due to smoking-related diseases like cancer, heart
disease and chronic lung diseases. Experimentation by children can rapidly
escalate into heavy smoking.
Experts say that unless urgent action is taken immediately,
the annual death toll could rise to more than eight million by 2030. This sure
is a gloomy and cheerless world that we are leaving behind to our future
generations. So it is time to motivate youngsters to stay away from this deadly
habit.
Dr. Shyama Chona, the educationist says, “The best way to
motivate them to stay away from smoking is to involve them in some activities.”
She suggests that schools can organise events like sports, drama and
story-telling sessions. Such participatory learning is very effective because
it dissuades kids from smoking, when they themselves propagate its bad
effects.
Parents have a big role to play when it comes to
influencing their kids. Theatre director Arvind Gaur says that a smoking parent
can never tell his/her child not to smoke because that would be too
hypocritical.
[Adapted from an article, published in The Times of India
dated March 14, 2018]
A. Tick the right answer:
1×6=6
(i) We find it cute when -
(a) a child imitates an adult
(b) an adult imitates a child
(c) a child copies an elder smoking by holding a pencil
between his/her tiny fingers
(d) a child actually smokes
(ii) According to WHO data, each year direct use of tobacco
kills -
(a) seven million people
(b) more than seven million people
(c) less than six million people
(d) more than six million people
(iii) In the opinion of experts urgent action should
be taken -
(a) immediately
(b) after one year
(c) by 2030
(d) by the parents
(iv) Dr. Shyama Chona is –
(a) a medical practitioner
(b) a psychologist
(c) a social worker
(d) an educationist
(v) ‘Deadly habit’ in paragraph 3 refers to –
(a) sports
(b) smoking
(c) play-acting
(d) story-telling
(vi) A smoking parent can –
(a) always tell his child to smoke
(b) tell his child to be hypocritical
(c) never tell his child not to smoke
(d) tell his child to be honest and truthful
B. Each of the following statements is either ‘True’ or
‘False’. Write ‘T’ for True and ‘F’ for False In the boxes on the right-hand
side. Also pick out suitable line(s) or phrase(s) from the passage in support
of your answers: (1+1)×3=6
(i) A child never imitates an elder smoking. [ ]
Supporting Statement: ____________________________
(ii) Many non-smokers die because of passive smoking. [ ]
Supporting Statement: ____________________________
(iii) Our future generations will be left in a dark and
hopeless world due to smoking. [
]
Supporting Statement:
____________________________
C. Answer the following questions:
2×4=8
(i) How does a child imitate an elder smoking ?
(ii) Name some of the smoking-related diseases.
(iii) Why should urgent action be taken immediately to stop
smoking ?
(iv) How can children be motivated to stay away from
smoking ?
Section-B
[GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY]
4. Write the correct alternative to fill in the blanks
: 1×3=3
When Mrs Gupta ________ (return / returned / was returning)
home she noticed at once that thieves ________ (enter / have entered / had
entered) her house during her absence. The local police station ________ (was
informing / had informed / was informed) immediately.
5. Do as directed :
A. Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and
prepositions: 1×3=3
Sunil _____________ young diver jumped _____________ the
river and saved the child _____________ drowning.
B. Rewrite the following sentences according to the
instructions given in brackets: 1×3=3
(i) He has worked out the answers carefully.
(Change the voice)
(ii) You do not take care of your health. You may fall ill.
(Join into a single sentence using an adverb clause)
(iii) “What have you written, Sachin?” The teacher
said. (Change into Indirect Speech)
C. Choose the correct phrasal verbs from the list given
below to replace the words underlined. Write the correct phrasal verbs in the
boxes on the right hand side changing the form where necessary. There is one
extra phrasal verb in the list. 1×3=3
(i) Kshudiram sacrificed his life for his motherland
____________
(ii) Police is investigating the case ____________
(iii) I am trying to find a job ____________
[List : look into,
come, by, look for, give up]
6. Given below are the meanings of four words which you
will find in the passage in Question No. 3. Find out the words and write them
in the appropriate boxes on the right-hand side.
2×4=8
(i) imitate _____________________
(ii) increase rapidly ____________________
(iii) discourage ____________________
(iv) spread and promote an idea widely ____________________
SECTION - C
(WRITING)
7. Write a story (within 100 words) using the given hints.
Give a title to the story. 10
[Hints: Three children collecting green mangoes near
railway track — one sees a crack on rails — hears a train coming — senses
danger — tears his red shirt — three pieces — waves like flags — driver stops —
accident avoided — children rewarded]
8. Write a letter (within 100 words) to the editor of an
English daily stating reasons why plastic carry bags should be banned. 10
Your letter may include the following points:
[Points : Large scale use of plastic carry bags — choking
sewerage system — waterlogging on roads — drains overflowing — pollution of
land and ocean — must be banned to save environment — use of substitutes like
jute bags and paper bags.]
9. Your school is going to host an inter-school drama
competition. Suppose you are the Cultural Secretary of your school. Write a
notice (within 100 words) calling students to participate in the competition.
Mention the time, date and venue of the competition. Your notice should be
countersigned by the Headmistress / Headmaster of your school. 10