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ENGLISH Paper 1 (Two Hours) Answers to this must be written on the paper provided separately. You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes. This time is to be spent in reading the question paper. The time given at the head of this Paper is the time allowed for writing the answers. Attempt all four questions. The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ] You are advised to spend not more than 35 minutes in answering Question 1 and 20 minutes in answering Question 2 Question 1. (DO NOT spend more than 35 minutes on this question.) Write a composition (350 400 words) on any ONE of the following: [25] a) You studied in a school many years and now you have become an IAS officer. You decide to visit your old school and find a sea-change in the atmosphere etc. Describe various changes you come across and your reactions to them. b) In everyone s life there are sad moments. Mention the saddest moment in your life and the pain and sorrow that you have undergone, the reaction of your friends and those who know you, and how you managed to overcome the sorrow. c) There is no substitute of mobile phones in our society. Express your opinion for or against this statement quoting their advantages/disadvantages. d) Relate an incident from your own experiences which brings out the following message: Morality is the lost virtue now-a-days. e) Study the picture given on the next page. Write a story or a description or an account of what it suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture or you may take suggestions from it; however, there must be a clear connection between the picture and your composition. _____________________________________________________________________________________ This Paper consists of 5 printed pages Turn over Question 2. (DO NOT spend more than 20 minutes on this question.) Select ONE of the following: a) You are a student of Std. X. You feel very strongly about the loss of reading habits in the young generation and even your friends prefer computer and television to books. Write a letter to the Principal of your school throwing light on various factors related to it and give at least three valuable suggestions to spread the culture of book reading. b) Your sister is hospitalized due to kidney failure and the doctors advise kidney transplantation to save her. But you don t have enough money for the operation. Write an open letter to seek financial support / kidney donation to be published in a leading newspaper. Question 3. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: You seemed at first to take no notice of your school-fellows, or rather to set yourself against them because they were strangers to you. They knew as little of you as you did of them, so that this would have been reason for their keeping aloof from you as well, which you would have felt as a hardship. Learn never to conceive a prejudice against others because you know nothing of them. It is bad reasoning, and makes enemies of half the world. Do not think ill of them till they behave ill to you; and then strive to avoid faults which you see in them. This will disarm their hostility sooner than pique or resentment or complaint. I thought you were disposed to criticize the dress of some of the boys as not so good as your own. Never despise anyone for anything that he cannot help least of all, for his poverty. I would wish you to keep up appearances yourself as a defence against the idle sneers of the world, but I would not have you value yourself upon them. I hope you will neither be the dupe nor victim of vulgar prejudices. Instead of saying above, Never despise anyone for anything that he cannot help, I might have said, Never despise anyone at all ; for contempt implies a triumph over and pleasure in the ill of another. It means that you are glad and congratulate yourself on heir failings or misfortunes. You have hitherto been a spoilt child, and have been used to have your own ways a good deal, both in the house and among your playfellows, with whom you were too fond of being a leader; but you have good nature and good sense, and will get the better of this in time. You have now got among other boys who are your equals, or bigger and stronger then yourself and who have something else to attend to besides humouring your whims and fancies, and you feel this as a repulse or piece of injustice. But the first lesson to learn is that there are other people in the world besides yourself. The more airs of childish self-importance you give yourself, you will only expose yourself to be the more thwarted and laughed at. True equality is the only true morality or wisdom. Remember always that you are but one among others and you can [10] 5 10 15 20 25 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page |2 hardly mistake your place in society. In your father s house you might do as you pleased; in the world you will find competitors at every turn. You are not born a king s son, to destroy or dictate to millions; you can only expect to share their fate, or settle your differences amicably with them. You already find it so at school, and I wish you to be reconciled to your situation as soon and with as little pain as you can. William Hazlitt a) Three words or phrases from the passage are given below. Give the meaning of each word as used in the passage. One word answer or short phrases will be accepted. i) disarm (line 7) ii) thwarted (line 25) iii) amicably (line 30) b) Answer the following questions in your own words: i) The passage is addressed to a young schoolboy by an elderly person of great experience. What could be the relation between the two? Which is the sentence that gives the clue? ii) Why do the school fellows after joining a new school keep themselves away from one another? iii) How do we make enemies of half the world? iv) Give the supporting points for the general advice: Never despise anyone at all. v) Explain: The first lesson to learn is that there are other people in the world besides yourself. vi) What is the idea implied when the writer says, You are not born a king s son ? 30 [3] [2] [2] [2] [2] [1] [1] vii) How can differences be settled amicably? Write a sentence suggesting one or [2] two ways of settling differences. c) Write in not more than 60 words of your own describe the main points of the advice [8] given. d) Give a heading to your summary in 3 (c) above. Justify your choice of the heading [2] by giving a reason. Question 4. a) In the following passage fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but write in correct serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank space. Example: 0____ was There 0 (be) a king in China who used to spend hours in his uniform, __ 1 __ (parade) before a mirror in his room. He would remain secluded in his palace, admiring himself, while his subjects 2 (starve) to death, and his kingdom went to ruin. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page |3 Turn over One night, a courtier gathered a group of palace 3 (attend) and, while the king slept, cut a window on the wall where the king s mirror had hung. The next morning, when the king dressed himself in his 4 (sparkle) medals, he walked to where the mirror had been and saw to his 5 (amaze) the unending procession of his people passing on the street. He saw starving children reaching into garbage cans for crusts. He saw sick and 6 (maim) men and women. He 7 (tear) off his medals, called for simple clothes, and went out __ 8 __ (mingle) with the people. His whole outlook on life changed when he [4] stopped looking into mirror at only himself. b) In each of the following sentences there is a blank space which can be filled in by a SINGLE word. Fill in each blank with the word which is appropriate. (DO NOT write the sentences.) i) Nibbling and pondering, the rabbit moved slowly ..the open meadow. ii) I have come here to suggest something different and better both of us. iii) The night that followed seemed dismal and dangerous all of them. iv) The police have a lot of proof him. v) The boundary wall gave way the summer season. vi) Browning s outlook ..life is very optimistic. vii) Her deposit was credited his savings account by mistake. viii) I beg to differ ..you on this issue. [4] c) Join the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using and, but or so: i) He galloped off very fast. His horse could not carry him faster. ii) She lost her ring. She began to cry. iii) Baldev reached the playground. He was punctual. [4] iv) The man committed a burglary last night. The man has been caught. d) Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence. i) Tennyson was not the youngest child of the family. (Begin: Some .) ii) He is nervous at the thought of facing the interview board. (End with: .nervous.) iii) He is far too stupid for such a difficult task. (Remove: too ) _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page |4 iv) It is probable he will never come back. (Begin: In ..) v) Had it not been for his weakness in English, he would have topped the class. (Begin: But ..) vi) Somebody has switched off the light. (Begin: The ) vii) As soon as the alarm rings, mother gets up. (Begin: No sooner .) viii) He said to me, Where do you live? (End: ..lived.) [8] _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page |5 Turn over
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