Time: 54 minutes Mid-term Test-I Full Marks: 30 Grade: IX English Set-A Pass Marks: 12
Candidates are required to respond to these tasks in
neat and tidy manner. Overwriting and scribbling in the paper is liable to lose
score. Attempt all questions.
1.
Read the text below and do the tasks that follow. [14]
Marie Curie was
one of the most accomplished scientists in history. Together with her husband, Pierre,
she discovered radium, an element widely used for treating cancer, and studied
uranium and other radioactive substances. Pierre and Marie’s amicable
collaboration later helped to unlock the secrets of the atom.
Marie was born in
1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her father was a professor of physics. At an
early age, she displayed a brilliant mind and a blithe personality. Her great
exuberance for learning prompted her to continue with her studies after high
school. She became disgruntled, however, when she learned that the university
in Warsaw was closed to women. Determined to receive a higher education, she
defiantly left Poland and in 1891 entered the Sorbonne, a French university,
where she earned her master’s degree and doctorate in physics.
Marie was fortunate to have studied at the
Sorbonne with some of the greatest scientists of her day, one of whom was
Pierre Curie. Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 and spent many productive
years working together in the physics laboratory. A short time after they
discovered radium, Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn wagon in 1906. Marie was
stunned by this horrible misfortune and endured heartbreaking anguish.
Despondently she recalled their close relationship and the joy that they had
shared in scientific research. The fact that she had two young daughters to
raise by herself greatly increased her distress.
Curie’s feeling of desolation finally began to fade when she was
asked to succeed her husband as a physics professor at the Sorbonne. She was
the first woman to be given a professorship at the world-famous university. In
1911 she received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for isolating radium. Although
Marie Curie eventually suffered a fatal illness from her long exposure to
radium, she never became disillusioned about her work. Regardless of the
consequences, she had dedicated herself to science and to revealing the
mysteries of the physical world.
A. Write the words from the text as indicated in the
brackets: [4]
(i)
strong-minded
(synonym) iii. rear (synonym)
(ii)
luck (antonym) iv. gladly (antonym)
B.
State whether the
following statements are true or false: [5]
i. The Curies’
friendly collaboration helped to unravel the secrets of the atom.
ii.
Marie
had a bright mind and a lighthearted personality.
iii.
She
earned a PhD in mathematics from Sorbonne University.
iv.
Happily, she remembered their joy together.
v.Marie Curie's life
teaches us to have great perseverance and resolution.
C. Give short answer to the following questions:
[5]
( i)
Why
was Marie awarded the Nobel Prize?
( ii)
How
did she feel when Marie learned that she could not attend the university in Warsaw?
( iii)What
intensified her misery?
( iv)
When
did her despair begin to diminish?
v) What lesson do you learn from Marie Curie's life?
3.
Rewrite these
sentences choosing the correct option from the brackets. [3]
a.
The
boys are scolded because they ……. a lot of noise. (made/were making/ have been
making)
b.Most of us go to
school …….. bus. (on/in/by)
c.
The
sheep…….. grazing in the field. They look happy. (are/is/were)
4.
Rewrite these
sentences as indicated in the brackets. [2]
i. She always tells
the truth. (Negative)
ii. The police have
arrested the thieves. (Passive Voice)
5.
Write a formal
message of condolences at the death of Ravi Sharma at the age of 13 in a car
accident. [5]
6.
Write a short
story using the given outlines. [6]
Two
friends…walk through a jungle…. suddenly a bear appears….one friend climbs on a
tree…feels safe…the other friend cannot climb on trees…lies motionless on the
ground…. the bear comes to him…. sniffs…goes away…the clever friend climb down
the tree… ask what the bear speak to him….moral.
The End
