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HALF YEARLY EXAM (2017-18)CLASS-IXENGLISH (SET-A)Time: 3 hrs M.M.80Instructions:The question paper is divided into three sections.Section A : Reading 20 marksSection B : Writing and Grammar 30 marksSection C : Literature 30 marksAll questions are compulsory. _____________________________________________________________________________Section – A (Reading : 20 Marks)1(a) Read the given passage carefully.Did you sleep well last night? Or did you wake up feeling fatigued and sluggish--- perhaps even wondering if you really slept at all? Understanding your sleep behavior and preparing for a sound slumber can help make sure every night is a good night for sleeping.“Sleep is a behavior and , like all behaviours, it varies greatly among people,” explains Dr Carol Landis, sleep researcher and associate professor in biobehavioral nursing and health systems at the University of Washington School of Nursing. “ The greatest differences occur in the timing of sleep and the amount of sleep--- the factors which are most important in determining whether you will wake up feeling rested.”Nobody knows why we sleep, but we all need to. There are no rules about how much sleep is necessary but an average adult sleeps for 7 hours 20 minutes. About 8 % of adults are happy with 5 hours or less and 4% want 10 hours or more. Babies need between 14 to 18 hours whereas the elderly need less than they did when young but often take a nap during the day.If you miss a couple of hours of sleep, no harm is done. You may feel tired and irritable the next day but the body soon makes up for the loss. If you try to stay awake night after night however, you soon begin to behave strangely. You lose the ability to concentrate and your judgement is impaired. You begin to imagine strange things and your behaviour becomes deranged. There are a number of causes for sleeplessness. Worry and depression are the most common. All kinds of things in the environment can affect sleep—noise, light, heat, cold, new surroundings, etc. Pain in illness can also keep people awake. Many people become addicted to their sleeping pills but sleeping pills do not deal with the causes of insomnia and it is better to avoid them if you can. It is much better to identify the problem and remove it. On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions. 8a) How can we ensure a good night’s sleep?b) What are Dr. Carol Landis’s views on sleep?c) State the factors that determine how we feel when we wake up.d) How does the sleep pattern of babies differ from that of the elderly?e) Loss of few hours of sleep can lead to________________f) What happens if we keep awake for nights on end?g) Enlist the causes of sleeplessness.h) Do sleeping pills cure insomnia? 2. Reading the following passage carefully. 121. We come across very few students (at any age) who “enjoy studying.” Most of them study because they have to complete assignments, prepare for exams or escape scolding. Students seldom study for fun. As there is no intrinsic motivation towards studies, external stimuli is sought after in order to drive students towards picking up books. 2. Though there is no harm in being driven by external persuasions, it just translates into a constant need for the environment (and people in it) to stay focused on creating enough reasons to keep students “studying.” More often than not, it is during the middle and high school years that the adults start getting tired of driving the students and want to wean them off these compulsions.3. How can parents and teachers contribute to helping students increase their motivation towards studies?4. Having a long-term perspective is always useful. Rome was not built in a day. Getting students to initiate and sustain the act of studying is a slow and deliberate process. Adults in a hurry to fix the students are likely to end up frustrated and unsuccessful in motivating them. Creating the right environment and routines for studying also helps. In order to focus on the task in hand, it is important to have certain amount of order and calm around us. 5. The schedules of the house/ school need to encourage the act of studying. When the actions of people around the student prompt studying, it is easy to initiate the student into doing his work.6. Another way is coupling studies with positive experiences. Make a conscious effort to associate the act of studying and related people with positive emotions, such as happiness, excitement, fun, warmth and support. This would imply that adults in charge of teaching stay calm, enthused and happy while teaching.7. An important point to keep in mind is to stop studying before the saturation point is reached. If a student reaches the phase of being tired and bored with some activity, it is unlikely that he/ she would come back to it.8. Remember to support and close skill gaps. It is common for students to avoid studies because they are not fluent in reading, writing or mathematical skills. Therefore, it is important that the adults facilitating the student’s study sessions ensure that the skill gaps are identified and addressed. In case these gaps are big, it will be important to provide enough sheltering/ support so that the student has fruitful study sessions. If students face prolonged frustration, they build a chronic pattern of giving up early on in the learning process.9. Provide active feedback about how the student is doing. When he/she makes an attempt or shows initiative, it is helpful to acknowledge and tell what is correct about that attempt. If many efforts go unnoticed the student is likely to stop trying.10. Helping students develop effective strategies for studying is essential. Teaching students how to learn is as important as what to learn.11. It is crucial to keep students successful at showing their learning. This would require building their background knowledge about the concepts they are about to read, helping them quickly when they struggle and keeping their response rate high.2.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions. 8a) What role does intrinsic motivation play in effective learning?b) At what stage do external stimuli become difficult for adults to sustain? Why?c) Why is it important to have a long term perspective?d) How can the identification and reduction of skill gaps benefit students?2.2 Find the word from the passage that is closest in meaning to the words given below. 2a) ‘to wean off’ b) sustain2.3 Answer the following questions. 2c) Explain the significance of the proverb ‘ Rome was not built in a day’ in the context of the passage.d) Why is active feedback necessary?Section-B (Writing and Grammar: 30 marks)3. Our streets are littered with paper bags, empty cans, fruit peelings and so many other used throwaways. Not only do the cities look unclean but this lack of cleanliness can even lead to the outbreak of an epidemic. Taking ideas from the Unit- Environment of MCB, write an article on the topic Clean India, Healthy India. (100-150 words) 8 4. Develop the given prompt into an interesting story in not more than 200-250 words.12 Awakened by a loud and ghostly shriek as if from under the bed, I noticed a shadow advancing towards me. I felt choked and lost consciousness…..5. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. 3 History reveals that women enjoyed a privileged position in ancient India. We feel proud a)______ the social order and culture that accorded respect to them. We hear of women sages and scholars b)_______ the Rigveda period. It was believed that Gods lived in places where women were respected but as the time passed, women completely lost their glory. Cut out from the mainstream of life, they became devitalized and totally dependent on the menfolk. Evil and inhuman practices came to be inflicted c)_______ them in the name of custom. 6. In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word along with the words before and after the correct blank number. 4 Before Missing word After After rabies, the most feared disease dogs, Eg diseasein dogs and almost always results in the (a) _____ ____ ____ animal’s death when strikes, is distemper. (b) _____ ____ ____ Although rabies has been eradicated across countries, canine distemper is prevalent (c) ____ ____ ____ in parts of the world posing a major threat (d) _____ ____ ____ to the world dog population.7. Rearrange the following words/phrases to form meaningful sentences. The first one has been done as an example. 3Example : day/too/penguins/have/ schools Penguins too have day schools.a secluded and elevated/ be safe/ they are/ where/would/ the chicks/ usually/ situated in / placeb) food hunting/ the young ones/ ways from/ the parents/pick upc) top of/ the child/ its voice/the parent /at the/ responds to / cackles/ and/ Section –C (Literature : 30 marks)8. Read the extract carefully and answer the questions that follow: (any one)4“I tell you what I will do. I will be philanthropic and let you have it for two hundred thousand.”Who does ‘I’ refer to in the above lines? What is the speaker willing to offer for two hundred thousand? Why? Why does the speaker claim to be philanthropic? Is he/she really trying to be philanthropic ? Give reason.Does the listener accept the offer? Why/why not? OR‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveller , long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;What do the ‘two roads’ metaphorically symbolize?State the reason behind poet’s regretful tone.Why has the wood been described as ‘yellow’?Explain ‘To where it bent in the undergrowth’?9. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each. 2*4=8a) Duke proved to be more than a nurse, friend or philosopher to Hooper during the rough patch of his life. Justifyb) How does Wordsworth bring out the sweetness of the solitary reaper’s song?c) Why did the poet regret when he reached a fork in the road where it divided into two?d) Compare and contrast the journey of the brook with a man’s life.10. Answer one of the following questions in about 100-120 words . 8Sudha Murthy’s grandmother, although illiterate, was an intelligent woman who wanted to break the shackles of ignorance and illiteracy. Comment on these words with reference to the story ‘How I taught my Grandmother to Read.’ ORBeautiful experiences give us lifelong pleasure. Elucidate with reference to the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’.11.Answer any one of the following in about 150-200 words. 10Montmorency, the dog, has been treated as the fourth member of the team bound for the road trip. How does the writer describe him and his antics from the time he first arrived to live with him? ORWhat impression do you form about the three friends regarding their friendship with each other in the story ‘Three Men in a Boat’?HALF YEARLY EXAM (2017-18)CLASS-IXENGLISH (SET-B)Time: 3 hrs M.M.80Instructions:The question paper is divided into three sections.Section A : Reading 20 marksSection B : Writing and Grammar 30 marksSection C : Literature 30 marksAll questions are compulsory. _____________________________________________________________________________ Section – A (Reading : 20 Marks)1. Read the given passage carefully.On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions. Each one of us dons multiple roles and hats as individuals .members of an organization, profession, family spirituality and other interests. Our minds are falsely conditioned to believe that theses goals are mutually exclusive, and that in order to achieve success and fulfillment in one aspect, we have to necessarily move away from the others, and that too, completely. Everywhere, examples of such flawed thinking are evident in people we know, such as the career-oriented woman or man who sacrifices family or the housewife or househusband who sacrifices a career for the family.Look at the academic who is successful in getting good marks but proves only mediocre in his career and personal life. Then again, there is the ‘successful’ but unethical doctor or lawyer who makes a living reveling in the misery of others and thus lives a life full of unethical practices. In business, we have the rich businessman who makes money by ‘hook or crook’. There is the spiritualist who prescribes early retirement and complete detachment and disengagement from wordly goals as the only way to be spiritual. In fact, as I come across more and more of life,I am left wondering why there is so much conflict and imbalance in this world. IS it because we tend to have a flawed image or perception of perfection and success which is based only on fantasy? In other words. This image is just not in tune with reality.A perfect student is not the one with the highest marks, but one who has assimilated and applied the knowledge one has learnt. A perfect teacher is not the one with highest number of students obtaining the highest marks, but the one who has made a positive difference to students’ lives and one who is remembered with gratitude, respect and reverence by students throughout their lives. Perfect professionals are not those who are praised and appreciated by all, but the ones who are dedicated, honest and sincere in performing duties as best as they can, to the best of their ability. So, what does life’s success depend on? Is ‘focus’ the key to success? Will focus, coupled with practical approach to life decide whether our life is balanced? Whether it is in the house or at work, let us not take the extreme path to meet our goals. It is more sensible to walk the middle path. Each of our roles is important and has significance in our life. Fulfillment is required in all spheres, and when fulfilled, it adds value to our other roles as well. Complete the following statements using words/phrases from the passage. 8Most of us ____________________________and as members of an organisation.There is _____________________that believes that each of these roles is mutually exclusive. Several men and women sacrifice family____________ and vice versa .Many people who do well in academics turn out ______________.The writer finds ______________ world.Most of us have a wrong notion _____________ A perfect student is one______________ learnt.It can be said that success requires______________________ towards life. 2. Reading the following passage carefully. 12The river flows on, but sluggishly. Its surface is calm and smooth. It turns a bend at a clump of bamboo, gently passes a grove of coconut, and now drifts along with scarcely a murmur. It is wide, too. The engineers had needed unspeakable amounts of concrete and rupees to build a bridge across and when that went into disrepair with age and neglect, they had needed even more to build another.A white flock of river terns appears. The terns energetically flap their pointed wings but mill around in an effort to go slow with the flow. They swoop and pick off the surface of the river small silvery fish, floating strangely immobile on their side. It is easy work, for the fish are already dead. Dozens of dead fish follow, sprinkled and sparkling on the river, killed by poison or by the shock of dynamite blast upriver. Some feed the terns, others drift here and there and below the culverts and into the nearby fields.The waters had travelled far to get here. Blown by winds from across the ocean, meeting the great escarpment of the Western Ghats, rising as vapours and clouds, and bringing wafting mists and torrential rains, they had drenched the slopes of the mountain a hundred miles away. Not all the rain had travelled to the ocean, though much had arisen from the forest itself, ascending through millions of roots and stems and transpiring through billions of leaves and leaflets. The forests pump hundreds of thousands of litres of water into the air, and the air returns some of it, falling as rain condensing as dew.Some water flows overland, much sinks in, sponged by the leaf litter and soil. Below the surface, the water travels through pipes and aquifers far and wide, recharging groundwaters, emerging as springs, draining into streams feeding the wide river.The clear waters from the forest join other waters; waters that gather the dust and carry the soil from the road-scars and the mine-wounds on the hill slopes. Waters deadened passage through dams and reservoirs, through stagnant pools and ponds with hyacinth and algae. Waters carrying earth from furrowed and exposed soils under alien plantations of acacia and eucalyptus and from forests whose litter-blankets are harvested to enrich the nearby fields with nutriment. Waters course in with the wastes of villages, towns, and cities, the effluents of factories and the oil and fuel spilled from lorries washed on the banks.The river passes a rice mill. The mill faces away from the river, with a neat garden in front and a mound of waste dumped at the back, on the banks.The story of the river seems so familiar. The river gives us water for irrigation, drinking, washing, bathing, navigation, and power. It provides us fish and fertile plains, reeds and recreation. But, does the river really give to us all this or do we just take it? And what do we give back, if anything? 2.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions. 8Describe the course of the river during its journey.What are terns? How are they associated with the river?The river is a combination of different waters. Justify. In what context does the writer ask ‘whether the river gives us or we take it?’2.2 Find the word from the passage that is closest in meaning to the words given below. 2 a) drift b) drenched2.3 Answer the following questions. 2c)What does ‘disrepair with age and neglect’ focus on in the given passage?d) In what way does the river prove to be advantageous for us?Section-B (Writing and Grammar: 30 marks)3. Transport and traffic, especially motor vehicles,cause many kinds of detrimental impacts on the environment and health. The main hazards include climate change, deterioration of air quality and noise. Taking ideas from the Unit- Environment of MCB, write an article on the Environmental Impact of Road Traffic and suggest effective ways to tackle this issue. (100-150 words)84. Develop the given prompt into an interesting story in not more than 200-250 words. 12Perhaps,thought Raman hopefully, today the wicket keeper would actually let a ball fall. Then he could catch it and be invited to join the game of cricket……5. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. 3 When the moon rises in June, thousands of pre-historic creatures rise i) ________ the depths of the sea, ii) _______ heavy armour clanking as they clamber over iii)______ another in the shallows of Tanton Bay, Maine. 6. In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word along with the words before and after the correct blank number. 4 Before Missing word After When electricity flows a wire, tiny Eg flows through a particles called electrons move through the wire. Each electron a very small (a) ___ ____ ____ electric charge. The electrons arrive, they (b) ____ ____ ____ produce electricity. To make a bulb in room (c) ____ ____ ____ light , two million electrons flow every second. (d) ___ ____ ____ 7. Rearrange the following words/phrases to form meaningful sentences. The first one has been done as an example. 3Example : a long/ India has/ conservation of/ history of/ forests India has a long history of conservation of forests.closed seasons/ many communities/ follow traditional practices/ of forest dwellers/ of maintaining/ and fisher peopleas no hunting/ the wildlife population/ its numbers/ or fishing/ during this time/can recoup/is allowedhave been/ and social customs/ because of/ many species/ centuries/ conserved/ such religious/ through the Section –C (Literature : 30 marks)8. Read the extract carefully and answer the questions that follow: (any one)4“There are moments in life when it’s the right time to buy, but it’s never the right time to sell. For fifteen years everybody has had money at the same time and nobody has wanted to sell. Now nobody has any money and nobody wants to buy.”Identify the speaker of these lines. Who is he/she speaking to?What is the speaker trying to sell? Why?According to the speaker, there never is a right time to sell. What does it imply?“Now nobody has any money and nobody wants to buy.” What makes the speaker say so? OR“I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less travelled by,And that has made all the difference.What do the ‘two roads’ metaphorically symbolize?Why did the poet take the road less travelled by?What does it depict about his character?Explain the significance of ‘ a sigh’ in line 1?How does the poet’s choice of road influence his life ?9. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each. 2*4=8Duke not only helped his master overcome his physical handicap but also equipped him with the inner strength to face the adversities of life. Do you agree? Why/ why not?Explain the symbolism employed in the poem ‘ The Brook’.Briefly describe the relationship between Krishtakka and her grand daughter Sudhamurthy.How does the poet describe the effectiveness of the solitary reaper’s melody?10. Answer one of the following questions in about 100-120 words . 8“All odds, challenges and handicaps of life can be conquered with strong determination, insurmountable patience and unshakeable tenacity.” Comment on these words with reference to the story ‘A Dog Named Duke. ORTennyson not only describes the beautiful journey of the brook but also comments on the transitory nature of human life. Elucidate with reference to the poem ‘ The Brook’.11.Answer any one of the following in about 150-200 words. 10‘Montmorency is in reality a dog, but the way the writer describes him is such that the readers take him for another human character.’ Do you agree Why/why not? ORBring out the element of humour in the story ‘Three Men in a Boat’ ................
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