Time: 0.45 Hrs. First Term Examination-2077 Full Marks: 25
Grade: IX English Set: B Pass Mark: 10
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Candidates are required to answer the questions in their own words as far as possible. You must copy statements for true/false, sentence completion, cloze test, reordering, and grammar items. The figures in the margin indicate full marks.
1. Read the given text and answer the following questions. [10]
The way people greet one another reflects their customs. It gives insight into their history and values. There is a wide range of greetings around the world. These range from the common handshake to other strange rituals found in some countries. Let’s observe how the simple action of greeting someone differs greatly from place to place.
In some Eastern countries, including Korea and Japan, bowing is the traditional greeting. In Japan, it is accepted that the deeper the bow, the deeper the respect shown. In Nepal and India, people bend or nod and say Namaste or Namaskar joining palms together as if praying. Handshakes are also popular in three countries. In Tibet, people opt to stick out their tongue to greet others which may seem strange to us.
In the United States, people shake hands firmly and make direct eye contact. It means a simple handshake is the normal greeting there. Shaking a person’s right hand while looking him or her in his or her eyes is the usual method. Handshakes are also common in other parts of the world, including Canada, Britain and Russia. When Canadians first meet, they often shake hands and introduce themselves by stating their names. In Russia, males grasp other men’s hands very strongly during the handshake. Similarly, most people in New Zealand greet each other by shaking hands. However, the native Maori people of that country display more physical contact: they press their noses together in a sign of trust and closeness.
In other countries, such as France and Belgium, hugging and kissing are more common when two people meet. In those cultures, people kiss each other on the cheeks. The number of times varies depending on the particular country. In Saudi Arabia, men might hug and kiss each other (but not women), on the cheek. Men also shake hands with each other there.
Thus greetings vary from culture to culture and also from place to place. These cultures teach us how to assimilate in a society. It also helps us to know each other’s way of life. Moreover, learning about others’ cultures can be a reliable tool for keeping peace and social harmony. (360 words)
A. Pick out the correct alternatives to answer these questions. [5]
i. What is the text mainly about?
a) The importance of handshakes all around the world
b) The origins and histories of various greetings
c) The strangest types of greetings on Earth
d) The wide range of greeting customs in the world.
ii. Which of the following is true?
a) People in Russia, but not England shake hands.
b) The number of times people kiss on the cheek varies.
c) In the past, people nodded if they weren’t carrying a weapon.
d) You shouldn’t look at people when shaking their hands in the United States.
iii. How do most people in New Zealand greet each other?
a) With a kiss on the cheek
b) By pressing their noses together
c) With a handshake
d) By sticking out their tongues.
iv. Which of these greetings is not practiced in India and Nepal?
a) They shake their hands.
b) They press their noses together.
c) They kiss on each other’s cheek.
d) They say Namaste/ Namaskar to each other.
v. How do the Saudi Arabians greet each other?
a) Men might hug and kiss each other (but not a woman) on the cheek.
b) It’s not proper for men to kiss women when they meet.
c) Women do not kiss other women when they meet.
d) Women can kiss men, but men can’t kiss women when they meet.
B. Briefly answer these questions. [5]
i. How do we know the customs of different communities?
ii. What hints at how deep one respects the other in the Japanese culture?
iii. Which community feels it necessary to introduce themselves at the first meeting?
iv. What is the significance of understanding others’ cultures?
v. What does it mean to assimilate in a society?
2. Read the poem and answer the following questions. [5]
The Foolish Fish
“Dear mother,” said the 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.
A. Answer the following questions. [3]
i. What does the baby fish want the mother fish to do?
ii. Why does the mother fish address her baby as ‘sweet innocent’?
iii. What did the little trout venture out for?
B. Write True or False against these statements. [2]
i. The little trout concluded that there was no hook in the worm.
ii. It was the mother’s mistake that her baby lost his life.
3. Write a couple of paragraphs on the advantages of breastfeeding. [5]
4. Reproduce the following sentences as directed in the brackets. [6]
a. Nobody tabled a discussion…...…? (Add a suitable question tag)
b. Thomas hardly picks the telephone calls. (Into affirmative)
c. The children are distributing the batches to their guests. (Into interrogative)
d. I…him a long time before I met his family (Supply the correct form of the verb ‘know’)
e. Srijana said to Srijav, “What is wrong with you?” (Into reported speech)
f. The jungle is being cleared up. (Into active voice)
The End
