English (Reading and
Writing)
Time: 2:15 hours Full
Marks: 75
Class: IX Pass
Marks: 30
Candidates
are required to answer the questions in their own words as far as
practicable.
Scribbling
and overwriting is strictly prohibited and marks will be forfeited for such
unattractive acts.
1. Read the
following excerpt and answer the questions that follow.
[10]
“…You should always try to communicate in English
with your English teacher and friends. Listening to radio program in English
could be an interesting way. Why don’t you buy a radio for yourself and listen
to such programs? For better pronunciation, copying people could be effective.
As you listen to any new word you ought to repeat it. Using an English
dictionary is another effective way to learn the language. You had better buy a
good English dictionary and use it. You know my English was not that good when
I was in Nepal. But now I feel it’s great. I have to speak it all the time. I
picked up pronunciation and expressions one by one. How about
talking to the foreign tourists who come to visit our area? They will be
happy to know about our village and its beauty from a student and you would
benefit with new English words and expressions. I have heard that the education
related offices in Nepal have been developing and distributing different audio
visual materials on learning English. If I were you, I would talk to teachers
about them too. These materials, I guess, must have been developed considering the
average performance level of the Nepalese students. Wouldn’t it be better if
you got some of them for your practice?
Going through your letter, I can understand that you have a lot of
knowledge on the importance of the English language. I’d like to add here that
as a lingua-franca, English has much more significance than what you have
written. You know, people can have better understanding and respect for each
other only when they are able to communicate. Since the English language has
been serving as an effective tool for communication worldwide, it helps people
of different nationalities to understand each other’s culture, values and
sentiments. This way it serves as a powerful means to promote fraternity that
results in better relations among individuals, societies and countries. These
attributes definitely contribute to world peace… ”
A. Find the words from the extract that are
similar in meaning to the following words. [
3]
a) interact
b) make out
c) qualities
B. State whether the following statements are true
or false.
[3]
a) English
language is the only international language.
b) Copying
people helps with better pronunciation.
c) The speaker
was adept at speaking English while she was in Nepal
d) Answer the
following questions.
e) What are
some of the ways to improve English?
f) The use of
English as a lingua franca has many benefits. Justify this statement.
2. Read the given poem carefully and do the
activities that follow. [5]
The Foolish
Fish
“Dear mother,” said a little fish,
“Is that a worm I see?
I’m very hungry, and I wish
You’d get the worm for me.”
“Sweet innocent,” the mother cried,
And started from her nook,
“That worm you see is there to hide
The sharpness of a hook.”
As I have heard, the little trout
Was young and foolish too,
And presently he ventured out
To learn what might be true.
Around about the worm he played,
With many a longing look,
And “Dear me!” to himself he said,
“I’m sure there is no hook.”
“I think I’ll give one little bite;”
And that was what he did,
And thus he died in hapless plight
By not doing as he was bid.
-Ann and Jane Taylor
A. Rewrite the following sentences choosing the correct words from
the poem. [2]
1.
The…………………………………………. was used as a bait to trap the fish.
2. The foolish
fish met his fate by shirking as he was…………………………
B. Answer the following questions. [3]
a)
What does the baby fish want the mother fish to do? Why?
b)
Why was the young fish foolish?
c)
What lesson does the poem teach us?
3. Read the following text and answer the
questions that follow. [15]
Like so many of my friends, I
used to earn money by teaching primary school children (now I teach college
students). Mr. Chhetry never paid me but he always had a
reason. One day he had nothing smaller than a 500 rupee note, on
another he was simply not home, and so on. Then, I used to think him a
liar but now I think of him as a fine gentleman, who was the victim of poverty.
One late afternoon, I was walking by his house, when he
motioned me to come inside. "I owe you..." he began, I thought
I'd save him the trouble of thinking up a new excuse. “No problem. Don't worry
about it."
"I'll be able to pay in a couple of days. In the
meantime, I thought you could choose one or two volumes for a down
payment." He gestured towards the walls, and I saw books stacked
everywhere.
Mr. Chhetry encouraged, "Find something you like. What
do you read?" I didn't know, so I said, "Pick for me."
He raised his eyebrows, and regarded me for a while. After a moment, he
handed me a dark red book.
I started the book sitting outdoors on an uncomfortable
kitchen chair. Within a few pages, everything else disappeared and
I plunged into the events of the book. When the evening light finally failed, I
moved inside and read all through the night.
To this day, 35 years later, I vividly remember the
experience. I used to read books but for the first time I was
stunned by the undiluted power of a book could contained.
A. Find
the words from the text that are similar in meaning to the following.
[3]
i. clearly
ii. impressed
iii. cosy
B. Rewrite the following sentences in the correct
order.
[4]
a) The writer
was engrossed in the events of the book.
b) He told Mr.
Chhetry not to worry about it.
c) Mr. Chhetry
had no smaller denomination than a 500-rupee note.
d) He was told
to select himself a book for the writer
C. Answer the
following questions. [8]
a) How did Mr.
Chhetry pay the writer?
b) What do you
think—Mr. Chhetry was a liar or a gentleman?
c) How did the
writer go through the book?
d) Why did the
writer not choose a book to read?
4.Read the following text and do the
activities that follow: [10]
Self-esteem is the experience of being competent to cope with the
basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness.
It consists of two components: 1) self-efficacy—confidence in our ability to
think, learn, choose, and make appropriate decisions; and 2)
self-respect—confidence in our right to be happy; and in the belief
that achievement, success, friendship, respect, love and
fulfillment are appropriate to us.
The basic challenges of life include such fundamentals as
being a le to earn a living and take independent care of oneself in
the world; being competent in human relationships, so that our interactions
with others are, more often than not mutually satisfying; and
having the resilience that allows one to bounce back from adversity and
persevere in one’s aspirations.
To say that self-esteem is a basic human need is to say that it is
essential to normal and healthy development. It has survival
value. Lacking positive self-esteem operates, in effect, as providing
resistance, strength, and a capacity for regeneration. When
self-esteem is low, our resilience in the face of life’s problems is
diminished. We tend to be more influenced by the desire to avoid
pain than to avoid pain than to experience joy; negatives have more
power over us than positives. If we do not believe in ourselves—neither in our
efficacy nor in our goodness (and lovability)—the world is a
frightening place.
A Rewrite the following sentences choosing the correct words/phrases
from the text. [4]
a) Self-efficacy
is characterized by our…………….in our reasoning and imbibing abilities.
b) ‘To make
both ends meet’ means to………………………….
c) When we
are…………….in human relationships, we can achieve mutually satisfying
interactions with others.
d) It is
imperative that we believe in our…………………..and in our goodness for
self-contentment.
B. Answer the following questions in a sentence
only. [6]
a) What do you
mean by self-esteem?
b) Why should
we possess resilience?
c) How does
self-esteem have survival value?
5. Sketch the character of Prospero in detail. (The Tempest)
6. Write a formal message of condolence on behalf
of your school using the following clues: [5]
Upendra Devkoata cancer 18
June 2018 former
Minister for Health a renowned neurosurgeon helpful
and popular bereaved
family departed soul, etc.
7. Write a paragraph giving your views on the use
of the internet for doing assignments. [5]
8. Write an essay on Importance of Games
and Sports in about 250 words. [8]
9. Reproduce
the following sentences as indicated in brackets. [6]
i. He is
hardly interested in learning new things, ................? (Add the suitable
tag)
ii. He hung a
coat on the wall. (Into negative)
iii. She shot an
arrow. (Into interrogative)
iv. Renuka………………….
(cut) her finger. It’s still bleeding. (Put the verb in bracket in correct
tense)
v. He said to
me, “Where did you go yesterday?” (Into indirect speech)
vi. They built
a new bridge in the village. (Into passive voice)
10. Rewrite the given story selecting
the correct options from the brackets: [5]
There was once________ (a/an/the) old farmer.
He_______ (has/have/had) three sons. They were lazy. They didn't
work in the field. He feared that his son________ (will suffer/would
suffer/suffer) much after his death________
(because/so/however), he thought of a plan to make his sons work in the field.
One day he called his sons and told them that the
treasures________ (buried/were buried/has been buried) somewhere in
the field. He told his son's, ''If you of the field, you________ (will get/would
get/ would have get) them. ''They were tempted to the treasures and
they began to dig the field, but could not find the treasures
anywhere. ________ (at/on/to) the same time they sowed seeds in the
field. There was fine crop. The sons ________
(became\become\becomes) rich. The old father made his son________ (to work\
work\worked) hard,
______ (did he\didn't he\was he)?
The End
