Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan
Support Material English Communicative
For Class IX SA-1
2014-15
Patron
Sh. J M Rawat, Deputy Commissioner, KVS(RO) Jaipur
Revised by: – Ms. Ritu Gilhotra PGT English, KV No. 2 Bikaner
Mr. Anil Kumar Vyas TGT English, KV No. 2 Bikaner
Under the guidance of
Mr. RPS SHIVRAIN
PRINCIPAL, KV NO. 2, BIKANER
ENGLISH COMMUNICATICE
TEACHING AND TESTING OBJECTIVES
READING
1. Read silently at varying speeds depending on the purpose of reading ;
2. Adopt different strategies for different types of text, both literacy and non-literacy;
3. Recognise the organization of a text.
4. Identify the main points of a text.
5. Understand relations between different parts of a text through lexical and grammatical
cohesion devices.
6. Anticipate and predict what will come next in a text.
7. Deduce the meaning of unfamiliar lexical items in a given context.
8. Consult a dictionary to obtain information on the meaning and use of lexical items.
9. Analyse, interpret, infer (and evaluate) the ideas in the text.
10. Select and extract from a text information required for a specific purpose (and record it in
note form)
11. Transcode information from verbal to diagrammatic form.
12. Retrieve and synthesize information from a range of reference material using study skills such
as skimming and scanning.
13. Interpret texts by relating them to other material on the same theme (and to their own
experience and knowledge); and
14. Read extensively on their own.
WRITING
By the end of the course students should be able for:
1. Express ideas in clear and grammatically correct English, using appropriate punctuation and
cohesion devices.
2. Write in a style appropriate for communicative purpose.
3. Plan, organise and present ideas coherently by introducing, developing and concluding a
topic.
4. Write a clear description (e.g., of place, a person, an object or a system).
5. Write a clear account of events (e.g., a process a narrative, a trend or a cause-effect
relationship).
6. Compare and contrast ideas and arrive at conclusion.
7. Present an argument, supporting it with appropriate examples.
8. Use an appropriate style and format to write letters (formal and informal), biographical
sketches, dialogues, speeches, reports, articles, e-mail and diary entries,
9. Monitor, check and revise written work.
10. Expand notes into a piece of writing.
11. Summarise or make notes from a given text: and
12. Decode information from one text type to another (e.g. diary entry to letter, advertisement to
report, diagram to verbal form)
LISTENING
By the end of the course students should be able to:
1. Adopt different strategies according to the purpose of listening ( e.g., for pleasure, for
general interest, for specific information).
2. Use linguistic and non-linguistic features of the context as clues to understanding and
interpreting what is heard (e.g., cohesion devices, key words, intonation, gesture,
background noises).
3. Listen to a talk or conversation and understand the topic and main points.
4. Listen for information required for a specific purpose, e.g., in radio broadcast,
commentaries, airport and railway station announcements.
5. Distinguish main points from supporting details, and relevant from irrelevant information.
,
6. Understand and interpret messages conveyed in person or by telephone.
7. Understand and respond appropriately to directive language, e.g., instruction, advice,
requests, warning and
8. Understanding and interpret spontaneous spoken discourse in familiar social situations.
SPEAKING
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. Speak intelligibly using appropriate word stress, sentence stress and intonation patterns;
2. Adopt different strategies to convey ideas effectively according to purpose, topic and
audience (including the appropriate use of polite expressions);
3. Narrate incidents and events, real or imaginary in a logical sequence;
4. Present oral reports or summaries; make announcement clearly and confidently;
5. Express and argue a point of view clearly and effectively;
6. Take active part in group discussions, showing ability to express agreement or disagreement,
to summaries ideas, to elicit the views of others, and to present own ideas;
7. Express and respond to personal feelings, opinions and attitudes;
8. Convey messages effectively in person or by telephone;
9. Frame questions so as to elicit the desired response, and respond appropriately to questions;
and
10. Participate in spontaneous spoken discourse in familiar social situation.
GRAMMAR
By the end of the course, students should be able to use the following accurately and appropriately
in context:
1. Verbs
Tenses:
- Present/past forms
- Simple/continuous forms
- Perfect forms
- Future time reference
- Modals
- Active and passive voice
- Subject-verb concord
- Non-finite verb forms (infinitives and participles)
2. Sentence structure
-Connectors
-Types of sentences
-Affirmative/interrogative sentences negation
-Exclamation
-Types of phrases and clauses
- Finite and non-finite subordinate clauses
- Noun clauses and phrases
- Adjective clauses and phrases
- Adverb clauses and phrases
- Indirect speech
- Comparison
- Nominalisation
3. Other Areas
- Determiners
- Pronouns
- Prepositions
LITERATURE
By the end of the course, student should be able to understand, interpret,
evaluate, and respond to the following features in a literary text:
1. Character, as revealed through
- Appearance and distinguishing features,
- Socio-economic background,
- Action/events,
- Expressions of feelings,
- Speech and dialogues.
2. Plot/story/theme, emerging through main events,
- Progressions of events and links between them;
- Sequence of events denoting theme.
3. Setting, as seen through time and place, socio-economic and cultural background, people,
beliefs and attitudes.
4. Form
- Rhyme
- Rhythm
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Pun
- Repetition
Open Text-Based Assessment
The Open Text Assessment will be included in reading section for 10 marks, as a part of SA-II.
The ‘OTBA’ text will be based on the themes found in the course books.
The section will consist of a case study accompanied by 1-2 questions based on the text. The
aim is to test the student’s ability for analytical thinking drawing inferences expressing their
points of view and justify them with suitable examples based on the case studies and their
own experiences based on their interaction with peers and society in general. They will be
assessed on the ability to understand and interpret the case study and offer appropriate
suggestions and opinions on the given issues. The role of teachers is to motivate their
learners and provide ample opportunities to apply their understanding of the given cases to
real life through group work and discussion. The students’ responses would consist of the
following:
(i) Objectives of the case studies
(ii) Concepts involved
(iii) Application of the concepts to the given situation
(iv) Description/ Explanation of the case and
(v) Analysis with different perspectives.
Assessment of speaking and listening skills (ASL)
As a part of teaching a language it is necessary that all the skills of a language i.e Reading,
writing, listening and speaking are given due weightage in all the four skills, both
formatively and summatively. Therefore, the CBSE has introduced the Assessment of
speaking and listening skills (ASL) in secondary classes in 2012-13 as a pilot, and in 201314 in all the schools affiliated to it. Since then it is mandatory for the schools to conduct
ASL for SA-I and SA-II. The data of ASL, namely marks/grades and recording of SA-I and SAII will be collected by the CBSE through its regional offices for analysis, monitoring and
maintenance of the quality of assessment processes. In addition, this analysis is expected
to create a wash back effect in the classroom teaching. The CBSE expects that the ASL is
also reliable, fair and valid and the data thus obtained reflects these. A matrix of
performance descriptors has been given in this document which will assist in ensuring a
valid assessment.
Teachers are, therefore, advised to go through the Performance Descriptors of speaking
assessment thoroughly before they begin the task of assessment.
INTERACTIVE
COMPETENCE
Task
Management
Initiation &
Turn-talking
Appropriacy
& Relevance
SPEAKING ASSESSMENT : PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTORS
5
4
3
2
1
Contributions
are highly
effective and
fulfil the task.
Can fulfil the
communicative
functions of the
level with
spontaneity.
Is prompt to
initiate
discussions on
the
themes/function
s at the given
level
appropriately.
Contributes
spontaneously to
keep the
interaction
going; takes turn
appropriately.
Speaks with a
clear sense of
purpose and
Contributions
are effective and
fulfil the task.
Can fulfil the
communicative
function of the
level.
Contributions are
adequate and
fulfil the task. Can
fulfil functions of
the level but may
not do so
consistently.
Contributions
are limited and
there is some
attempt at the
task which is not
fulfilled and/or
may be
repetitive.
There is
almost no
contribution
and/or
contributions
may not be
related to the
task.
Is easily able to
initiate
discussions on
the
themes/function
s at the given
level
appropriately.
Contributes
effectively to
keep the
interaction going
and takes turn
appropriately.
Speaks with the
fair sense of
purpose and
Is able to initiate
discussions on the
themes/functions
at the given level.
Makes an effort
to keep the
interaction going;
takes turn.
Struggles to
initiate
discussions on
the
themes/function
s at the given
level. Makes
little effort to
keep the
interaction
going.
Does not
initiate
discussions.
Makes no
effort to keep
the
interaction
going.
Speaks with an
awareness of
purpose and
Has unclear
sense of purpose
and may be
Has hardly
any sense of
purpose and
Fluency
Cohesion &
Coherence
Speed of
Delivery
sequence
Pronunciation
Pronunciation
, Stress and
intonation
Language
Accuracy
Range
audience in both
formal and
informal
situations
contributions are
always
appropriate to
the
context/situation
.
5
Presents
information in a
logical sequence
of linked
utterances with a
clear connection
between ideas,
arguments and
statements. Uses
a range of
cohesive devices.
Speaks fluently
with minimal
hesitation. Has
intelligible speed
of delivery.
audience in both
formal and
informal
situations. May
be less confident
in formal
situation.
audience may not
adapt register
effectively.
Contributions are
appropriate to
the
context/situations
.
unable to adapt
register.
Contributions
may not be
connected to the
context/situation
.
cannot adapt
to register.
4
Presents
information in a
logical sequence
of linked
utterances with
a connection
between ideas,
argument and
statement. Uses
with ease some
cohesive
devices. Speaks
fluently with
some hesitation.
Has intelligible
speed of
delivery.
5
4
Has clear, natural Has
pronunciation
pronunciation
that can be easily that can be
understood by
easily
the listeners.
understood by
Varies stress and the listeners.
intonation in
Varies stress and
keeping with the intonation in
task, content and keeping with the
meaning.
task, content
and meaning.
5
4
Uses a range of
Uses a range of
grammatical
grammatical
patterns with
patterns with
accuracy,
accuracy,
including some
including few
complex forms.
complex forms.
Makes only
Makes only
negligible errors. noticeable
errors.
3
Presents
information
generally in a
logical order but
overall
progression may
not always be
clear. Uses a
range of cohesive
devices but some
over/under use.
Coherence may
be affected by
hesitancy or
rephrasing.
Intelligible speed
of delivery.
3
Is intelligible
though there are
examples of some
mispronunciation.
Tries to speak
varying stress and
intonation
according to task,
content and
meaning.
2
Presents
information but
without clear
progression.
Uses limited
cohesive devices
repetitively.
Severe hesitation
may impede
communication
speed of delivery
impedes
understanding.
1
Presents
information
with no
progression
and/or little
control of
organisationa
l features.
May use only
isolated
words and
phrases.
2
Is not always
intelligible and
the listeners may
have to ask for
repetition from
time to time
inappropriate
stress for the
task, content or
meaning.
1
Is not
intelligible..
3
There may be
some mistakes
which affect the
meaning but
there is an
attempt to
correct most of
these mistakes.
2
There are
mistakes which
affect meaning
but there is
hardly an
attempt to
correct these
mistakes.
Uses an
expressive and
appropriate
Can use the
language if the
level but is
Uses basic,
simple words
and phrases for
1
Communicat
e with
fragment of
words and
structures
but does not
manage to
bridge the
gaps or
correct
his/her
mistakes.
Uses simple,
isolated word
for the level.
Uses an
expressive an
appropriate
range of
structure, words
and phrases on
topics
appropriate to
the level and to
the deliver and
effective
message
range of words
and phrases on
topics
appropriate to
the level. They
may be
repetitive.
repetitive. May
search for words
with the risk of
the message
becoming weaker.
the level. There
may be an effort
to find suitable
words, which
may hamper the
message.
There is little
effort to find
words.
-
ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE COURSE
Summative Assessment (2014-15)
Class – IX
Textbooks
Literature Reader
Summative Assessment-I
PROSE
1. How I Taught My grandfather To Read
2. A Dog named Duke
POETRY
1. The Brook
2. The road Not Taken
3. The Solitary Reaper
4. Lord Ullin’s Daughter
DRAMA
1. Villa for sale
Main course Book
1. People
2. Adventure
3. Environment
4. The Class IX Radio and Video Show
Long Reading Text/Novel (either one)
Gulliver’s Travels in four parts Unabridged Edition
(2005) by Jonathan Swift Parts I & II
Three Men in a boat Unabidged Edition (1889) by
Jerome K. Jerome –Chapter 1-10
Summative Assessment-II
1.
2.
3.
The man Who Knew too Much
Keeping it from Harold
Best Seller
1.
2.
3.
The Seven Ages
Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After My teeth
Song of the Rain
2.
The Bishop’s Candlesticks
1.
2.
3.
Mystery
Children
Sports and Games
Gulliver’s Travels in four parts Unabridged Edition
(2005) by Jonathan Swift –Parts III & IV
Three Men in a boat Unabidged Edition (1889) by
Jerome K. Jerome –Chapter 11-19
Work book- suggested break up of units for the purpose of classroom teaching
only- not for testing (see the note below)
Term I
1. Verb form
2. Determiners
3. Future time reference
4. Modal
Tern II
5. Connectors
6. The passive
7. Reported speech
8. Prepositions
Note on workbook
The suggested spilt up of the units of the workbooks reflects a distribution for the
purpose of classroom teaching only. Since grammar and usage is not to be tasted
directly, but in an integrated manner, split up as shown above will not restrict
questions in the grammar section of SA II and SA II question papers to the specific units
shown in the spilt up of workbook units. Grammar will be tasted by recycling grammar
items learnt over a period of time in a comprehensive manner along with the skills of
reading, writing, speaking, and listening as well as literature.
Notes
1. Formative assessment is assessment for learning. Thus schools may adapt the
above break-up as per their convenience.
2. All activities related to formative assessment such as language games,
quizzes, projects, role plays, dramatization, script writing etc. must be done
as ‘in class’ and ‘in school’ activities. In case a field surveys or visit it taken up
it must be under the direct supervision of the teacher.
READING
1. Read the following poem carefully:
LETTER FROM A PARENT (8 Marks)
Dear Sir,
I feel I ought to write
About Tom’s essay-work last night.
Of all the subjects you have set
This seemed the most unwise yet.
“Describe your family”….. Tom wrote it,
So well, I just had to stop it
Being handed in; - so did my wife.
The details of our family life
Are not such a kind, alas,
That I should want them read in class :
We did not wish the high school staff
To read them for a-lunch-hour-laugh.
We tore it out. I realize
You may think what we did unwiseBut give it your consideration
And please accept my explanation.
I trust you will not blame my son,
for after all, the work was done.
Yours truly
Harold Honeybun
1. On the basis of your reading of the poem, answer the following questions briefly.(4×2)
1. Why does the father forbid his son to submit the essay to his teacher?
2. How would the staff of the school would react to the son’s essay?
3. Who are the persons to be blamed for Tom’s not submitting his essay?
4. Why should Tom be pardoned?
2. Read the poem and answer the questions that follow [8 marks]
THE LEADER
1.
Patient and steady with all he must bear,
Ready to meet every challenge with care,
Easy in manner, yet solid as steel,
Strong in his faith, refreshingly real.
5.
Isn't afraid to propose what is bold,
Doesn't conform to the usual mould,
Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won't do,
Never backs down when he sees what is true,
Tells it all straight, and means it all too.
10.
Going forward and knowing he's right,
even when doubted for why he would fight,
Over and over he makes his case clear,
reaching to touch the ones who won't hear.
Growing in strength he won't be unnerved,
15.
ever assuring he'll stand by his word.
Wanting the world to join his firm stand,
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20.
Bracing for war, but praying for peace,
Using his power so evil will cease,
So much a leader and worthy of trust,
Here stands a man who will do what he must.
Q1. The above poem refers to
.
Q2. ‘Doesn’t conform to the usual mould’ suggests the person being described is
Q3. The true qualities of a true leader are
and
(any two)
Q4. The leader would fight war bravely but
.
Q5. Using his power so evil will cease: Here cease means
.
Q6. Find the antonyms of the following words from the passage
A.
Insight [lines 5-7]
B.
Conflict [lines 15-17]
Q7. Find the synonyms of the following words from the passage:
A.
Accurate [lines 8-10]
3. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
8 Marks
Dharam Dev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known
as Dev Anand, was an Indian film actor, writer, director and producer known for his
work in Hindi cinema. Part of the Anand family, he co-founded Navketan Films in 1949
with his elder brother Chetan Anand.
The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the
Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contribution to Indian cinema. His career
spanned more than 65 years with acting in 114 Hindi films of which 104 have him play
the main solo lead hero and he did 2 English films. Dev Anand’s autobiography
“Romancing with life” appears to be a very honest portrayal of the man called Dev
Anand. This article is composed on the basis of revelations recorded in his life story.
Being a very shy boy Dev’s father put him up in a girl’s school in Gurdaspur. It is
obvious that Dev had a very captivating face.
As a child Dev was fond of playing with marbles on the street outside his house. He
was an excellent marksman from any distance. He was always sure of hitting every
marble that he aimed for. Due to his marksmanship, he had won several marbles and
stored those in a big jar, which was his proud possession. His father hated him for
playing all day with marbles. Dev was afraid of his father. One day his father
admonished him for playing with the marbles all the time. He said that this was not the
way to attain stature in life. But he loved his mother very much.
While Dev was still in Gurdaspur, his mother developed Tuberculosis, a fatal disease
during those days. The rare medicines necessary for her treatment were unavailable
in Gurdaspur. Dev and friend Bhagoo used to go to Amritsar, more than thirty miles
away from Gurdaspur, by bus to bring medicines for the treatment of his mother.
Dev was fond of a special “Lassi” made from full fat milk, which used to have “Pedas”
crushed into it.
One sultry summer day Dev was sweating outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar. A
Sikh gentleman was selling “Almond Sherbat”. Dev put his hand forward to grab the
tumbler of “Sherbat”. The Sikh “Sherbatwala” saw the unique blessings of sun on Dev’s
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forehead. He quickly said that some day you will be a big shot in life. Dev narrated
this to his mother, who hugged him and told his father to give him the finest education
and other facilities so that her son gets what he aspires for. His mother soon became too
weak to walk even and was moved to a sanitarium, where she died.
Dev was enrolled in Government College Lahore for his graduation, which he did with
honors in English. But soon he discovered that his father had fallen on bad days. Dev
wanted to go to England for higher education, so that he could get an elite government
job on return to India, but his father admitted that he could not afford this. His father
gave him the option to do his master’s degree from Lahore Government College and
then serve as a clerk in a bank, which Dev declined.
Q1. Give a suitable heading for the above passage.
Q2. The name of Dev Anand’s biography is
.
Q3. In his childhood he loved playing
and he stored them in a
because they were
his proud possession.
Q4. He travelled to Amritsar with his friend Bhagoo, which was thirty miles away from his home
tin order to
.
Q5. The special lassi which Dev was particularly fond of was made of
.
Q6. Dev could not go to England to pursue his higher education because
.
Q7. The Sikh sherbatwala, outside the Golden temple, told Dev that he would
.
Q8.From the passage, find the synonyms of the following word:
a] story of your life (para 2)
4. Read the Passage carefully and answer the questions that follow (8 Marks)
Nanotechnology – nanodots and hair drives
We know that information in a computer hard drive is stored on a disk coated with a magnetic material. With
advances in nanotechnology, storing tera bytes data in a computer chip, just a few centimetres wide, has now
become a reality. Nanoscopic dots of nickel have been created by Ashutosh Tiwari and Jagdish Narayanan at
North Carolina State University that measures just five nanometres in diameters. Basically, each ‘nano dots’
consists of a discrete ball of seven hundred nickel atoms, and one can have on or two magnetic states. This
allows them hold a single bit of information, as a ‘1’ or a ‘0’, which are packed close together as the dots are
discrete units that are not structural linked.
For designing these nanodots, researchers first used a pulsed laser to heat nickel until it turned into
plasma- an amorphous form of matter with both positively and negatively charged atoms. In this form, the
nickel rearranged itself on two different substrates- aluminium oxide and tin titanium nitrate- as uniform dots.
These dots rearranged themselves at the destiny that would, theoretically allow about five terabytes of data
or 5000 gigabytes to be packed into computer drive roughly the size of a postage stamp. The ultimate aim of
scientists is to integrate these nanodots with silicon chips.
Notwithstanding the potential of this new computer memory technology, several changes still need to meet.
Actually having five nanometre dots in the right structure on a surface that can be used as a memory tough
task. Secondly it is important to find an alternative to nickel, as this has to be cooled in order to work
effectively as a magnetic memory. This fabrication technique could, however, be used in other ways. For
example, scientists found it possible to arrange the dots in a uniform manner within the crystalline structure of
tin titanium nitrate. As nanodots could strengthen the crystal lattice of a molecule, these may lead to the
development of novel, super-strong materials.
1. Define information.
2. How is the advancement in nanotechnology useful?
3. What is the ultimate aim of the scientists?
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What is plasma?
Who have created Nanoscopic nanodots of nickel?
What does nanodots consists of?
How were the nanodots designed?
The other word for ‘integrate’ is …………….
5. Read the following passage carefully and answer the question that follows:
(12 marks)
1. When monsoon overstays, with the host of attendant problems getting worse due to civic neglect, one sees
not the romance of rains but the nuisance of it. But rains are not just water drops from the heavens; they have
the power to change the course of the world history.
2. The awesomeness noise of the rapidly overflowing river currents in the thick forest night, with five days
torrential rains on thorny bushes and shrubs, all made it difficult for Alexander the Great and his huge army to
cross the river Jhelum in high spate. But he crossed it where it was narrowest.
3. Thoroughly drenched and with battlefield half flooded, Alexander gathered together his army on horseback
and well before day-break attacked the huge army of king Porus with the lightning speed, catching them
unawareness. Suddenly, the rains gathered momentum again.
4. The army of Porus consisted mainly of unwieldy elephants scared by the piercing arrows of rain ran back in
retreat, trampling down the soldiers. Some of the animals had their legs stuck in the deep mud, making them
immobile and leading to an easy defeat of the Indian king.
5. Porus had committed the mistake of presuming that Alexander won’t attack in heavy rains when there was
a cloud burst the previous night and the battlefield was half flooded. The enemy’s nimble footed horses made
swift charges. Overtook the fleeing elephants in quick succession and defeated the king in no time. Porus was
thus not defeated the king in no time. Porus was thus not defeated by Alexander the Great but by the
incessant rains.
6. Now comes Changez Khan, the invincible Mongol King, who never lost any battle in his lifetime and was
ranked mightier than Alexander. The khan had once laid a siege to massive Chinese fort for two months with
no hope of surrender by the enemy. He was advised to lift the siege in view of the rations running shorter
while it had been raining intermittently for over a month and half. But the shrewdly waited on for the rains to
stop.
7. When the skies cleared for a single day, he negotiated with the Chinese fort guard to lift the siege provided
they gave him rations or else all types of birds that perched in abundance on the trees inside the fort to feed
his hungry army before retreating. By the same evening the guards threw down thousand of netted and caged
birds like sparrows, pigeons, parrots, thrushes, falcons, starlings, crows and blackbirds.
8. As night fell, an oil soaked piece of cloth was tied around one foot of each bird, which was set on fire and
the whole flock released all of a sudden. The burning creature flew high in panic and as they won’t, returned
to their tree-nests in the fort in haste, setting the fort afire.
9. Taking advantage of the resultant panic and commotion all over the fort, the Khan attacked the fort with full
might. As the main gate of the fort was burnt down, his soldiers climbed up the ramparts and killed the guards
and defeated the Chinese.
10. While Alexander became victorious because of heavy rains on that particular night, Changez khan’s
triumph was because of the stopping of the rains. Rains are therefore, nature’s manifestations that affect
differently different people at different places and different times, shaping the destiny of mankind differently
and, making history different.
14 | P a g e
- Satya Pal Arora (adapted)
(a) On the basis of your readings of the passage, answer the following questions as briefly as possible:
What generally is the monsoon associated with?
2 marks
(b) What were the two things that made virtually impossible for Alexander the Great to cross Jhelum?
2 marks
(c) How did the elephants contribute to defeat the Porus?
2 marks
(d) What made the elephant “immobile”?
2 marks
(e) ‘Porus had committed the mistake...’(line 15). The ‘mistake’ was....
1 mark
(f) What plea did Changez Khan make to get all the birds?
1 mark
(g) How did khan’s soldiers reach inside the fort?
1 mark
2. From the passage find words which mean the following:
[1]
(a) Fearful (para 2)
(b) Fastest (para 2)
5. KALAM’S CONCEPT OF TOTAL COMMITMENT
1. Total commitment is not just hard work, it is total involvement. Building a rock wall is a backbreaking work. There are some people who build rock walls all their lives. And when they die, there
are miles of walls; mute testimonials to how hard those people had worked.
2. He continued, “But there are other men who, while placing one rock on top of another, have a
vision in their minds, a goal. It may be a terrace with roses climbing over the rock wall and chairs set
out for lazy summer days. Or the rock wall may enclose an apple orchard or mark a boundary. When
they finish, they have more than a wall. It is the global that makes a difference. Do not make rocketry
your profession, your livelihood- make it your religion, your mission.”
3. To succeed in your mission, you must have single – minded devotion to your goal. Individuals like
me are often called “WORKAHOLICS”. I question this term because that implies a pathological
condition or an illness. If I do that which I desire more than anything else in the world and which
makes me happy, such work can never be an aberration. Words from the psalm come to my mind
while I work “Examine me, o lord and prove me”.
4. Total commitment is a crucial quality for those who want to reach the very top of their profession.
The desire to work at optimum capacity leaves hardly any room for anything else. I have had people
with me who scoff at the 40 hours a week a job they were being paid for. I have known others who
used to for 60, 80, and even 100 hours a week. They used to find their work exciting and rewarding.
Total commitment is the common denominator among all successful man and woman. Are you able
to manage the stresses you encounter in life? The difference between an energetic and a confused
person is the difference in the way their minds handle their experiences man need his difficulties
because they are necessary to enjoy success. All of us carry some short of super intelligence with in
us. Let it be stimulated to examine our deepest thought desires, and beliefs.
5. Ones you have done this charge yourself as it work to the commitment to your work – you also
need good health and boundless energy. Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is true
the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career. People are born with different energy reserves
and one who tries first and burns out easily will do well to recognize his/her life to the earliest.
15 | P a g e
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
7
Based on the basic of your reading of the above passage, complete the following statements
as briefly as possible.
(4 marks)
(a)To succeed in one’s mission one must _____________.
(b)The difference between an energetic and a confused person is _______________.
(c)The people can happily work for 100 hours a week if they ____________.
(d)The one who tries and burns out first ______________.
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words/phrases:
(2 marks)
(a)Total commitment is (1) ________ (2) __________.
What is the importance of difficulties in our life?
(1 marks)
What qualities are required to succeed in life, according to the passage?
(1 marks)
Find words/phrases in the passage which mean the same as __________.
(4 marks)
(a) Related to a disease (para 3) ________.
(b) Deviation from normal/distortion (para 3) ___________.
(c) Very important (para 4) _________.
(d) Maximum (para 5) __________.
Read the following passage carefully :
1. Filmmaker Chandan Johar’s new film, Still Standing, is about his quadriplegic father, Rajinder
Johar, who has not only come to terms with his disability but is a source of inspiration to
many. The film is an emotive tribute by a son to his father, a man of immense courage.
2. “I knew that this is a story that the world needs to know”, says Chandan. “My father has
turned a personal disaster into an opportunity to serve society. This film is a dedication to the
unbreakable spirit of this man. “Rajinder Johar had learnt to accept his disability with stoic
acceptance and good cheer. Among the many case studies present in the film, is one of
Sabina who was four years old when she lost both her legs in a train accident. Life became
really tough for her. She went to Rajinder Johar who had, in the meantime set up an NGO,
Family of Disabled (FOD). He helped her set up smalls shop and later gave her a tricycle which
she now uses to go to work and ferry her children from school.
3. The film also shows a talented painter, seema , at work. she lost both her hand in an accident
at a very young age. but she has trained herself to do a lot of thing with her feet, including
painting.
4. Rajinder Johar’s family bore the brunt of his disability. Chandan recalls that the family would
never go on vacation and he was always embarrassed to bring his friends home. Today
Chandan consider himself lucky to have had the opportunity of watching his inspiration father
at close quarters.
5. “People have different celebrities as their role models. I had one right at home” he says. It
shows in his loving portrayal of his father. Still Standing is a moving film for the audience.
(351 words)
Complete the following statements by choosing the appropriate phrases from the passage :(8 marks)
1. Filmmaker Chandan Johor’s film “still standing” is about ____________.
16 | P a g e
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
It is an ___________ movie.
FOD has helped Sabina by ____________.
Seem, a talented painter has lost ____________.
Seema trained herself to _____________.
Chandan’s father, Rajinder Johar is ____________ for him.
How did Rajinder Johar is ____________.
The word for ‘showcase’ is ___________.
8. The Photograph -Ruskin Bond
I was ten years old. My Grandmother sat on the string bed under the mango tree. It was late
summer and there were sunflowers in the garden and a warm wind in the trees. My
grandmother was knitting a woolen scarf for the winter months. She was very old, dressed in a
plain white sari; her eyes were not very strong now, but her fingers moved quickly with the
needles, and the needles kept clicking all afternoon. Grandmother had white hair, but there
were very few wrinkles on her skin.
I was rummaging in a box of old books and family heirlooms that had just that day been brought
out of the attic by my mother. Nothing in the box interested me very much except for a book
with colourful pictures of birds and butterflies. I was going through the book, looking at the
pictures, when I found a small photograph between the pages. It was a faded picture, a little
yellow and foggy. It was the picture of a girl standing against a wall and behind the wall there
was nothing but sky: but from the other side a pair of hands reached up, as though someone
was going to climb the wall.
I ran out into the garden. ‘Granny’ I shouted. ‘Look at this picture! I found it in the box of old
things. Whose picture is it?’
She took the photograph from my hand, and we both stared at it for a very long time.
‘Whose picture is it?’ I asked.
‘A little girl’s, of course,’ said Grandmother. ‘Can’t you tell?’
“Yes, but did you know the girl?”
‘Yes, I knew her,’ said Granny, ‘but she was a very naughty girl and I shouldn’t tell you about
her. But I’ll tell you about the photograph. It was taken in your grandfather’s house about sixty
years ago. And that’s the garden wall and over the wall and over the wall there was a road going
to town.’
‘Who was the girl?’ I said. ‘You must tell me who she was.’
‘No, that wouldn’t do,’ said Grandmother. ‘I won’t tell you.’
I knew the girl in the photo was really Grandmother, but I pretended I didn’t know. I knew
because grandmother still smiled in the same way, even though she didn’t have as many teeth.
17 | P a g e
‘Come on, Granny,’ I said, ‘tell me, tell me.’
But grandmother shook her head and carried on with the knitting. And I held the photograph in
my hand looking from it to my grandmother and back again, trying to find points in common
between the old lady and the little pig-tailed girl. A lemon-coloured butterfly settled on the end
of Grandmother’s knitting needle and stayed there while the needles clicked away. I made a
grab at the butterfly and it flew off in a dipping flight and settled on a sunflower.
Q1. The grandmother was busy
.
Q2.
were blooming in the garden.
Q3. The boy found in the box of old things.
Q4. The photograph was taken
ago at the boy’s
Q5. Apparently, the girl was
in the photograph.
Q6. The boy recognized the young girl in the photograph by
Q7. Find words in the passage which mean the following:
a) Searching [para 2]
b) Falling [last para]
.
.
9. Rest in peace
1.
2.
Who climbed Mount Everest first? Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay set foot on the
highest peak in the world in 1953, the year of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. But
there is another school of thought, a more passionate one that gives the credit for the
mountaineering feat to a team of two young daring Britons, George Leigh Mallory and
Andrew Irving. They were supposed to have reached the summit of the Everest on 8 th
June 1924, more than three decades before Hillary and Norgay reached the base of the
mountain. There is only one problem with this theory: neither Mallory nor Irving lived to
tell the tale of their success on the treacherous mountain. They disappeared somewhere
close to the summit, some say only 180 meters from the bald patch of snow and ice, an
uninspiring feature closer to the heavens than any other point in the world, which has
attracted numerous intrepid souls across the world for decades. Therein hangs one of
the most enduring mysteries of the mountaineering world by all accounts. Mallory and
Irving were the unlikeliest of men to become partners in an adventure like an Everest
expedition. Mallory was an experienced mountaineer, having honed his skills in the Alps
and other European mountains Irving was younger to him and inexperienced. When they
met, Everest was talked about in hushed tones in pubs where mountaineers often
gathered to wind down and exchange stories. It was in a distant world. Nothing much
was known about it except that the locals called it Sagarmatha and worshipped it as the
holy seat of the Mother Goddess. What intrigued the mountaineers most was the British
Surveyor General, George Everest, calling it, in the 19 th century, the highest mountain in
the world. Until then, Europeans had never imagined there could be mountains higher
than the Alps.
The legend of the Everest was born thus. It fired the imagination of mountaineers of the
world over. Mallory and Irving were just two of them who set forth for the distant
mountain. The news of their success in opening the route across some of the most
treacherous portions of the Everest route excited the mountaineering world to no end. It
was the first time anyone had climbed to such heights. Even before dawn broke on 8 th
June 1924, Mallory and Irving began their journey to the summit. They were last seen
then. Many said they fell to God’s wrath having defiled the holy seat of the Mother
18 | P a g e
Goddess. Some said it was Irving’s inexperience which caused the tragedy. There were
talks of the Yeti killing them. And yet there were others who argued that the duo never
went anywhere near the summit and that it was all part of an imperialist conspiracy.
Two years ago, American guide Eric Simonson found Mallory’s frozen body some 180
meters from the summit and set at rest all such speculations. This year, he is planning
another expedition to recover the remains of Irving. But he has run into stiff oppositions
from Irving’s family which wants their hero to remain in the shadow of summit which,
even in the day of space exploration, remains an enduring symbol of adventure and
discovery.
EXERCISES
1.
In the following exercise, fill in the blanks with suitable words or phrases.
(a)
Young and daring Britons, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Irving are credited …………..
more than three decades before Hillary and Norgay.
[1]
Mallory and Irving were the unlikeliest of men to become partners in adventures like an
expedition to the Everest because ……………
[1]
The Everest was called ………………. of the Mother Goddess.
[1]
General George Everest called it the ……………… in the world, higher than …………… [1]
There are many curious about the disappearance of Mallory and Irving. Some of the
these theories are:
[2]
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(i) ……………………………
(ii) …………………………
(iii) Some say the yeti killed them.
(iv) Some say it was a part of an imperialist conspiracy.
(f)
American guide Eric Simonson found Mallory’s frozen body some …………..
[1]
2.
From the passage find a word which means the same as:
[1]
fearless/adventurous (para1)
10. Read the following passage and answer the questions
[8 Marks]
If you meet a member of that select club, “the Twelve True Fishermen”, entering the Vermon
hotel for the annual club dinner, you will observe, as he takes off his overcoat, that his evening
coat is green and not black. If you ask him why, he would answer that he does it to avoid being
mistaken for a waiter. You will then retire crushed. But you will leave behind you a mystery as
yet unsolved and a tale worth telling.
If you were to meet a mild, hardworking little priest, named Father Brown, and were to ask him
what he thought was the most singular luck of his life, he would probably reply that upon the
whole his best stroke was at the Vernon Hotel, where he had averted a crime and, perhaps,
saved a soul, merely by listening to a few footsteps in a passage.
19 | P a g e
The Vernon Hotel, at which The Twelve True Fishermen held their annual dinners, stood, as if by
accident, in the corner of a square in Belgravia. It was a small hotel; and a very inconvenient
one. But its very inconveniences were considered as walls protecting a particular class. One
inconvenience, in particular, was held to be of vital importance: the fact that practically only
twenty-four people could dine in the place at once. The only big dinner table was the celebrated
terrace table, which stood open to the air on a sort of verandah overlooking one of the most
exquisite old gardens in London. Thus it happened that even the twenty four seats at this table
could only be enjoyed in warm weather; and this made the enjoyment more difficult yet more
desired. The existing owner of the hotel was a Jew named Lever; and he combined with his
limitation in the scope of his enterprise the most careful polish in his performance.
The wines and cooking were really as good as any in Europe. , and the demeanor of the
attendants exactly mirrored the fixed mood of the English upper class. The proprietor knew all
his waiters like the fingers on his hand; there were only fifteen of them, all told. It was much
easier to become Member of Parliament than to become a waiter in that hotel. Each waiter was
trained in terrible silence and smoothness, as if he were a gentleman’s servant. And, indeed,
there was generally at least one waiter to every gentleman who dined.
Read the questions given below and ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:
[1X 8=8 Marks]
i) What does the ‘select club’ stand for
ii) Why is their evening coat green?
iii) Why did the proprietor know all the waiters?
iv) What does ‘’Precisely” mean in the passage?
v) Why was the hotel famous?
vi) Which term does the Writer uses for the waiters?
vii. What was the name of the Owner of the Hotel?
viii. Why was it easier to become Member of parliament than to become a waiter in that hotel?
20 | P a g e
Section: B WRITING & GRAMMAR SECTION
(25 MARKS)
DIARY ENTRY 100-120 WORDS (5 MARKS)
Purpose
Diary is a kind of personal document. It records an individual’s account of a day of his/her life.
Format



Top left-Date, day and time.
Tense Most frequently used-Simple past, Present perfect and future.
First person application
Steps



Begin the entry with general sentences describing the day or momentary feelings.
In the body, you may discuss an event, your feeling towards it. How it is likely to affect your
future plans.
Conclude with final remark and future course of action.
Solved Example
1-You are Naresh. You happened to go to Agra in a crowded bus on a hot summer day.
Record your experience in the form of a diary entry.
Date:
Day:
Time:
Today I had the bitterest experience of life. I never had such an awful experience in my life before. I
had gone to Agra for an urgent work. There were very few buses plying today as most of them had
been put on election duty. I waited for two hours at the bus-stop to get into the bus. It was much
crowded. I somehow managed to get some space for myself. It was really difficult to breathe.
Everyone was sweating. People were pushing each other. After journey of two hours, I came out of
the bus and took a sigh of relief.
I’ll never forget this journey in my life.
Naresh
Question for practice:
1. Today you visited your ancestral village and watched the farmers harvesting a crop of wheat. Make
a diary entry describing your experience at the village.
2. You happened to visit the science city, Gandhinagar as a part of educational excursion of your
school. Describe your experience in the form of a diary entry.
3. You were a member of a team of students campaigning against the spread of smoking in the village
community. Make a diary entry describing your participation and success achieved in your mission.
Article Writing 100-120 WORDS (5 MARKS)
Tips-
 Read the question carefully.
 Use CODER
 Make some points to be covered
21 | P a g e





Expand the points in 3-4 paragraphs
Plan, organize and present ideas coherently
Be creative
Take care of grammar
Use proper layout
Writing an article is a challenging task. It needs creativity, good vocabulary, good knowledge of the
subject and skill to organize ideas.
Purpose
To focus on themes like social concern, narrating an event, describing of a place, etc.
Format
 Heading/Title must be catchy and sharp
 By-name of the author
 Body
I Para- Introduction-Start with a slogan, a question, an amazing fact, figure or statement.
II/III Para – Causes, effects, present state of affairs, etc.
IV Para – Draw solutions and conclusions
Solved Example
1-You decide to write an article in the school magazine on how it is important to save the planet,
Earth. Write the article in about 120 words.
Save the planet, Earth
This is a cause of complete concern across the globe today. The global warming has accelerated the
rise of temperature on earth which is said to have risen by 4°C. The sea level is also rising. The
glaciers are also melting away. There has been very less rainfall in the recent years resulting in the
scarcity of food around the world. The death rate due to starvation has increased immensely. We,
the human being are solely responsible for this calamity. We pollute our planet in many ways.
Deforestation, industrial pollution, toxic wastes, vehicular pollution and lack of greenery are the chief
cause of imbalance in the ecosystem.
The urgent need of the hour is that each one of us take step to save the planet in every possible way.
We should protect our forests. Save fuel, plant trees, take care of toxic pollutants, conserve water
and change our life style.
Awareness programs must be launched by the students and NGOs to make people aware of
environment problems. The public should avoid the use of polythene bags. All of us must strive hard
to save our beautiful planet for the future generations.
2. Video games, Internet, Cell Phones and other high-tech gear are just part of growing up in a
digital world. But parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spend with these
and worry that it might be distracting and cramping academic and social development.
Using your own ideas and those taken from the unit “science”, write an article in 180 words,
describing both the benefits and harms of using these high-tech devices.
High – Tech Device- Boon or Bane
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The present day high-tech gear is just part of growing up in a digital world.
Nevertheless one cannot deny that all these gadgets have become a part and parcel of our daily lives.
Besides we have become highly dependent on these devices. This is more so in the case of children.
Their lives are completely ruled by these devices.
These device have many benefit. They have made our lives easier and more comfortable. They have
made the world jump forward with a leap, and built up a glittering modern world. They have also
opened innumerable avenues for the growth of knowledge and have given a definite form to the wild
imagination of man. They have indeed revolutionized every sphere of life. But on the other hand the
excessive interest of child in this gadget s, has made parent concern and worried. Children spend a
great deal of time on these gadget like video games, internet, cell phone etc the parent feel that
excessive use of this gadget will definitely be destructive for the children. This could also cramp their
academic and social development. If children are not checked, they would continue to waste time on
these gadgets.
They will recline into their own high-tech shell. Thereupon it will become very difficult for parents to
bring them out of this world. If these high-tech devices are used in moderation they can fulfill the
purpose for which they have been invented.
Question for practice:
1-India is a country of temples, lakes and monuments which exhibits fine architecture. India is
regarded as favorite tourist attraction. But as a country, we need to promote tourism, make people
aware of its importance and make it a safe destination for the tourists. By using the information and
ideas from the unit “Travel and tourism” together with your own ideas, write an article in about 120
words.
2- Write an article on the given topic using hints given below in not more than 120 words.
Mobile Phone: a modern utility or a health hazard
Hints:
A-Use of mobile phones
i-50% of India going to have mobile phone by 2012
ii-growing at a fast rate.
B- Utility of Mobile phones
i-Keeps well connected
ii-Inexpensive
iii-Handy
iv-Helps in personal and professional tasks
C-Health Hazards posed by mobile phones
i-Electromagnetic radiation
ii-Distraction while driving
3. You are Ruchi. Once you got a chance to visit a remote village of Rajasthan. You noticed the girl
children did not go to school. Write an article on “Need to educate the girl child” for the school
magazine in 120 words.
4. What goes inside the mind of terrorists and why they commit such heinous crimes which lead to
the deaths of so many innocent, no one knows. The recent bomb blasts at various metros of the
country have left everyone shocked. You are Sania/Sonik.
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5. Write an article in about 120 words on terrorism-A threat to Humanity by taking help from the
points given below.




Terrorism has taken deep roots
Terrorists attack anywhere, any time
Have a vast network, Use latest technology
Security forces to upgrade technology.
Stories ( 150 to 200 words) 10 Marks
Story writing is an art that requires a lot of communication skills. First of it requires the art of
narrating things in an interesting way. You will be given either the introductory lines or some hints
given in the input or both. You have to develop the story basing it on the information given in the
input or the introductory lines. You have to develop it on the same theme as intended by the
introductory lines or by the input. You can’t go against the stated theme.
Salient features of a good story
1. Basically, developing and writing a good story needs the art of narration. You have to narrate
the incident in a sequential order leading to the final conclusion.
2. Students should follow the basic theme as expounded by the input or by the introductory
lines. They are not supposed to invent new and different themes.
3. Within the given limits, students are left with enough space where they can give expressions
to their creative talents.
4. The beginning and the concluding lines must support the main power or the event described
in the story.
5. You have to confined your narration to about 150-200 words as per the guidelines laid down
by the board.
Q. 1. You are Aradhna. You started writing a story of ‘two boy in a jungle’ due to the pressure of a
heavy engagement, you gave up, after writing a line or so. Taking help from the input given below
and basing on the introduction Aradhna had made develop the story in about 150-200 words. Veeru
and Karim were young keralites. Next week their school was going to organize a camp near a forest in
Ponmuddy…..
Went out-to explore forest-lost the way-away from the camp-cries of animals-heard “thump-thump’’
sound-a large elephant-trumpeted angrily-came towards them-a balloon-started blowing-big
balloon-hit hard with hand-“bang-bang’’-loud noise-elephant turned away-saved-
Silencing an Angry Elephant
Veeru and Karim were young keralites. Next week their school was going to organize a camp near a
forest in Ponmuddy. The following week they joined the camp. One day they went out together. They
thought of going inside the forests to explore it. Soon they lost their way. The sun had set. They were
walking along the Periyar River. They heard a loud noise. They stood still and listened. They heard the
sound of an animal coming towards them. It was the sound of a big elephant. He was just fifty meters
away from them. The elephant smelled them too. He saw them standing quietly behind an oak tree.
He raised his long trunk up in the air and trumpeted loudly. The boys didn’t move. Veeru was a little
frightening, but Karim was not. Slowly the elephant started coming nearer and nearer. Now he was
only ten meters away. “Let’s do something”, said Karim. “Do it, before he attacks us”, said Veeru.
Karim pulled out a balloon from his pocket. He put it in his mouth and started blowing into the
balloon. At last, it was blown to the size of a small bag. Karim hit the full blown balloon hard with his
24 | P a g e
hand. “Bang-Bang!” The elephant stopped and trumpeted angrily. He was confused. The elephant
turned away and disappeared into the forest. The boys ran and ran till they reached safe at the camp.
VERB FORMS
The best way to know verb forms at a glance.
PRESENT SIMPLE
TENSE
PRESENT
I/you/they play,
He/she/It plays
PAST
TENSE
SIMPLE PAST
I/we/you/he/she/It
/they played
FUTURE
TENSE
SIMPLE
FUTURE
I/we/you/he/she/It
/they
will/shall
play.
PRESENT
CONTINUOUS
PRESENT
PERFECT
PRESENT
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
I am playing, they I/we/you/they have I/we/you/they have
are playing.
played.
been playing.
He/she/It
is He/she/it
has He/she/It has been
playing.
played
playing.
PAST
PAST PERFECT PAST
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
CONTINUOUS
I/he/she/It
was I/we/you/he/she/It/t I/we/you/he/she/It/the
playing.
hey had played.
y had been playing.
We/you/they
were playing.
FUTURE
PRESENT
PRESENT
CONTINUOUS
PERFECT
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
I/we/you/he/she/It I/we/you/he/she/It/t I/we/you/he/she/It/the
/they will/shall be hey will/shall have y will/shall have been
playing.
played.
playing.
We use simple present tense
To talk about things in general,
not about something happening now, but about
something happening all the time:
I play the flute.
To express scientific facts or permanent truths:
Water boils at 100 degree centigrade.
Sun rises in the East
We use present continuous tense
to express an action taking place at the time of speaking:
someone is knocking at the door.
We use present perfect tense
to express an action that has just been completed:
25 | P a g e
I have just got the letter from him.
to express an action completed sometime in the past but connected with the present.
The Police have closed the road today.
We use present perfect continuous tense
to express an action that began in the past and has been in the progress till the time of
speaking.
It has been raining for fifteen minutes.
We use simple past tense
to express actions finished before the time of speaking:
We saw a suspense movie last night.
We use past continuous tense
to express an action in progress at some moment before the time of speaking:
It was raining hard at 5 o’clock last night.
We use past perfect tense
To express an action completed before a given moment in the past:
The message came after he had left the office.
We use past perfect continuous tense
to express an action that began in the past and has been in the progress till the time of
speaking:
I have been waiting for the bus since 7 o’clock.
We use simple future tense
to decide to do something at the time of speaking:
I will go and take a cup of tea.
to express the speakers view:
I think I will consult a doctor
We use future continuous tense
26 | P a g e
to express an action which will be in the progress at a given moment in the future:
tomorrow at 7 o’clock he will be flying to New York.
We use future perfect tense
to express an action completed before a given moment in the future:
But tomorrow he will have changed his profile.
We use future perfect continuous tense
to express an action which will begin before a definite moment in the future, will
continue up to that moment and will be in progress even at that moment:
By 4 o’clock, Baba Ramdev will have been sitting in meditation for two hours.
DETERMINERS
Are the words which identify or specify a noun in some way. They do not describe a noun; they
determine it; they point it out. eg-the best boy, that tree and my brother etc.
KINDS OF DETERMINERS
We have the following kinds of determiners;
1. Articles (a, an, the )
2. Demonstratives (this, that, these, those)
3. Possessives (my, your, his, her, etc.)
4. Distributives (either, neither, each, every)
5. Quantifiers (some, any, much, several, etc.)
6. Interrogatives (what, which, whose, etc.)
Articles
We already know that there are three articles in English: a, an, and the. Of these a and an are
indefinite articles while the is the definite article.
Uses of article A and An :
before countables in the singular number:
A train,
A question,
An uncle,
An umbrella
A before a countable in the singular number beginning with a consonant sound:
A lecture,
A one-eyed man (w sound)
27 | P a g e
An before a countable noun in the singular number beginning with vowel sound:
An invention, An M.A. (here M is sounded as em; so it begins with vowel sound)
Uses of article The
Before a noun whenever we want to make it particular:
the train by which I came,
the books I usually read
This article can be used with both countable (train, book) and uncountable (mercy,
information). And also can be used with the countable both in the singular number
(train) and the plural number (books).
With a noun that has already been mentioned:
I got a watch as a gift.
The watch is beautiful.
When it is clear from the situation which people or things we mean:
The principal is taking round of the school.
With superlatives:
The brightest star
DEMONSTRATIVES
This and These refer to persons or objects close by. This is used before singular nouns
and These before plural nouns:
This book contains all information.
These flowers are for you.
That and Those refer to persons or objects at a distance. That is used before singular
nouns and Those before plural nouns:
That car belongs to my father.
Those cars are for sale.
This and
That can be used before the uncountable also:
This food is not good.
That rose is beautiful.
POSSESSIVES
28 | P a g e
Possessives can be used both before singular and plural nouns:
My book,
My books
Your purse, Your purses.
DISTRIBUTIVES
Either
It has two meanings
any of the two different persons or things:
You can take either bus. (any of the two buses)
the both
Restaurants have come up on either sides of the road. (on both the sides)
Neither
It means opposite to either or it means not the one nor the other:
Neither candidate deserves our support.
Each, every
Each is used when we think of things separately, one by one:
Talk to each child.
Every is used when we think of things as a group. The meaning is without exception:
Every child needs love and protection.
QUANTIFIERS
many and several suggest number, they are used with countable:
many pens,
several trees
some and any can be used with both countable and uncountable:
some books, some tea
any shirts,
any bread
Much is generally used before the uncountable. It means: a large quantity of.
Much labour, much loss
Many is used before the countable in the plural number. It means a large number of:
Many students,
many artists
INTERROGATIVES
Determiners that help to ask questions may be described as interrogatives like what,
which, whose, etc.
What train,
which basket, whose bats
29 | P a g e
MODALS
Modals are verbs used to express the mood or attitude of the speaker. They are used to give
advice, seek or give permission, make suggestions, make polite requests, give invitations, etc.
The most commonly used modals are:
-
can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, ought to, need, dare
-
Asking for and giving permission:
May, can, and could
Preeti: Mummy, I ‘am awfully hungry. Can I eat these butter biscuits?
Mother: Why not? You can eat all of them if you like.
Vinay: Could I use your phone please?
Mr Bhushan: Yes of course.
Ritu: May I go to the medical room madam? I “am feeling giddy.
Madam: Yes please do.
To ask or give permission we use
Can, could or may.
Can is informal; could is very polite; may is formal. All of them are correct. The choice depends
on the situation and the speaker’s relation to the listener.
-Asking for things:
Can, could, may, will
-
To ask for things we normally use can or could
Can I have those pillow covers, please?
Could you pass on the salt, please?
May is also possible, but being very formal is not preferred. However, we can use will if
we like:
Will you pass on the salt, please?
Possibility:
May, might
Both May and Might are used to suggest possibility. But might suggests a lesser
possibility than may.
In these sentences, could is also possible:
He could be in his office.
30 | P a g e
But could suggests still lesser possibility.
Must doesn’t have a past tense form. So we can use must to talk about the present or
the future:
We must phone Sathish now {present}
We must phone Sathish tomorrow {future}
Should is not as strong as must or have to. Look at this example:
You should wear a helmet while driving a motor bike.
Ought to conveys the same sense as should. But it carries with it a sense of moral duty.
You ought to take care of your old parents.
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
 We can begin a sentence either with the subject or object. This fact decides whether a
sentence is active or passive.
 In other words, it is possible for us to recognise the active and the passive voice. For
example, if a sentence has one of the helping verbs such as am, is, are, was, were, been,
being, be and past participles of the verb like eaten, broken, spent, learnt, incented,
discovered, it is passive voice.
 Voice: Voice is the form of the verb which indicates whether a person or a thing does
something or something has been done to a person or a thing. Kinds of voice: there are
two kinds of voice, namely:
 Active voice
 Passive voice
 Active Voice: When a verb form shows that the subject has done something, it is known
as active voice.
Ex: Madhavi wrote a letter.
-
Passive voice: when a verb form shows that something has been done to the subject, it
known as passive voice.
Ex: A letter was written by Madhavi.
NOTE: we can turn active voice into passive voice by using some guide lines. It is not much
difficult for us to change the voice of the verb.
31 | P a g e
BASIC RULES
-A sentence can be separated into subject(S), verb (V) and object(O).
eg: MADHAVI
WROTE
A LETTER
S
V
O
-The object of the sentence must be turned into subject.
eg: MADHAVI
WROTE
A LETTER
S
V
O
A LETTER WAS WRITTEN BY MADHAVI
TENSE
 Present Simple
S
FORM
am/is/are + Past Participle

Continuous Tense (Present)
am/is/are + being + Past Participle

Present Perfect Tense
have/has + been + Past Participle

Simple Past Tense
was/were + Past Participle

Past Continuous Tense
was/were + being + Past Participial

Past Perfect Tense
had + been + Past Participle

Simple Future Tense
will/shall + be + Past Participle

Future Perfect Tense
will/shall + have been + Past Participle
V
O
-The ‘be’ form must be used according to the tense of the verb.
eg: A letter ‘was’.
-Past participle of the verb must be used.
eg: A letter was written.
-Preposition ‘by’ must be added.
eg: A letter was written by
-The subject must be made the object.
eg: A letter was written by Madhavi.
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE TABLE
-An easy way to find out to change the active voice to passive voice and vice versa.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
Akshay said, “I am really sorry for the mistake.” ……….. (1)
Akshay said that he was really sorry for the mistake. ………. (2)
32 | P a g e
-There are two ways of reporting, what some body said.
We produce the exact words of the speaker, as in above. This is called direct speech.
Or, we can express the speech in our own words, as in (2) above. This is called indirect or
reported speech.
Direct speech is set off by inverted commas (“…….”) indirect speech usually begins as:
Miru said that ……
Shashank asked Dhanshree if ………
Kiran told Puneet to………….
We do not normally report someone’s words as soon as they are spoken, or at the place where
they are spoken. Besides, the reporter is usually different from the actual speaker. So the
reported speech differs from the direct speech in certain respects:
Sushmita said, “I ‘am not free today, for somebody is coming to interview me.”
Sushmita said that she was not free that day, for somebody was coming to interview
her.
 Besides dropping inverted commas and using some conjunctions(that, if, etc.), we have
to take care of three things while reporting speeches:
Tenses. Most of the times, the reported speech is in the past tense. (she was not free…….
Somebody was coming…….)
Personal pronouns like I, we, you, etc. And possessives like my, our, your, etc. , which change
according to the situation. (she was …… , coming to interview her)
Words detonating nearness of time and place are changed. (not free today- not free that day)
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
this/that
these/those
Here
there
Now
then*
Ago
Before
Today/tonight
That day/that night
Yesterday
The day before/the previous day
Tomorrow
The next day/the following day
The day before yesterday
The day before the previous day
33 | P a g e
The day after tomorrow
The day after the next day
Last week/year, etc.
The previous week /year, etc.
Next week/year, etc.
The following week/year, etc.
(*But then is very often omitted from the indirect speech)
CHANGING TENSES
REPORTING VERB IN THE PRESENT OR FUTURE TENSE – THE TENSES IN THE REPORTED SPEECH
UNCHANGED
Prakhar says, ”Arunima is not keeping well”.
Prakhar says that Arunima is not keeping well.
He will say, “Good music makes a good film.”
He will say that good music makes a good film.
REPORTING VERB IN A PAST
TENSE
IS/ARE/AM
THE TENSES IN THE REPORTED SPEECH CHANGE
INTO A CORRESPONDING PAST TENSE
WAS/WERE
WAS/WERE
HAD BEEN
HAD BEEN
NO CHANGE
HAS/HAVE
HAD
HAD
NO CHANGE
DO
DID
DID
HAD DONE
HAD DONE
NO CHANGE
WILL/SHALL
WOULD
(IN CERTAIN CASES, SHALL MIGHT
BE CHANGED INTO SHOULD)
MAY/CAN
MIGHT/COULD
WOULD/SHOULD/MIGHT/COULD
/OUGHT TO/USED TO
MUST
NO CHANGE
HAD TO
34 | P a g e
There are situations in which even if the reporting verb is in the past tense, we leave the tenses
in the reported speech unchanged:

The reported speech expresses a universal truth or a habitual fact:
Our science teacher said, “The pole star does not change it’s position in the sky.”
(The reported speech is a universal truth.)
Our science teacher told us that the pole star does not change its position in the sky.
I said to the tourist, “the Indian summer is usually very hot.”
(This reported speech is habitual fact)
I told the tourist that the Indian summer is usually very hot.

The reported speech describes a situation which still exists when the speech is reported :
The station master said, “All the trains are running late because heavy rains have
damaged some parts of the track.” (The situation continues to be unchanged at the
time of reporting.)
The station master said that all the trains are running late because heavy rains have
damaged some parts of the track.

The reported speech contains two clauses, both in the past:
Neeraj said to me, “Abhilash was unwell so she didn’t go to the school.”
Neeraj told me that Abhilash was unwell so she didn’t go to the school.

However, in this case it would also be correct to say:
Neeraj told me that Abhilash had been unwell, so she hadn’t gone to the school.
PREPOSITION
 A preposition is used to show the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word in
the sentence. Here are some common prepositions :
About, above, after, at, behind, below, between, down, during, for, from, in, inside, of,
off, on, through, to, under, with.
 A prepositional phrase is made up of a preposition, its object, and all the words in
between. The object of the preposition is the noun or pronoun that follows the
preposition.

The pirates buried their treasure under (preposition) a tree (object).
I kicked the ball between (preposition) the goalposts (object).
Examples of prepositional phrases –
In the front, of cake, at the park, down the hill, across the street, under the bridge,
35 | P a g e
from my big brother, behind the counter, after school, for breakfast, of the tree,
during summer vacation.

Adjective phrases tell what kind or which one.
She lives in a house with a red door. (What kind)
The boy in the backseat was yelling loudly. (Which one)

Adverbial phrases tell how, when, or where.
Tell the story in your own words. (How)
Mr Raj jogs in the afternoon. (When)
She ran behind the house. (Where)
GAP FILLING
I Study the given notes and complete the paragraph that follows by filling up the gaps
Notes:
Annual Function of the school
The Mayor as the Chief Guest
Inauguration by the Principal
Prize Distribution by the Chief Guest
Last week the Annual Function of our school (a)……………….. . The Mayor of the town
(b)…………………….. to grace the occasion as the chief guest. The function (c) ………………. by the
Principal while the Mayor, the Chief Guest distributed the prize to the winners.
1. Process of Operating an ATM
Find an ATM of any bank
Take your ATM card and put it in the slot
Enter your secret PIN
Select your option
Wait a little till your transaction is complete
Get the currency
Collect your Card and Transaction Slip
Leave the ATM cabin
For doing transaction through ATM you (a)…………….. to find an ATM of any bank. First you
(b)……………to put your card in the card slot followed by (c) …………………..the secret PIN. You are to
wait till your transaction is complete. Then take the currency, collect your card and leave the ATM
cabin.
3
Choose or fill up the best word from the options given in bracket to complete the following
passage: (solved)
1. Human civilisations have been around (a)…….. (at, on, for, in) a paltry 12000 years, barely a (b)
………….. (many, few, some, each) second (c) ………… (at, in, on, of) the geological clock. In that
short amount (d) ……………..(of, on, with, at) time, we’ve managed (e) ……………….. (at, to, of, for)
create quite a ruckus, etching our dominance (f) ……………(at, in, off, over) nature with our villages,
towns, cities and megacities. The rapid increase of human population has left us battling with
other species for limited resources.
(for, few, on, of, to, over)
36 | P a g e
2. Dr. Sadao Hoki’s house (a) ……………. built on a spot of the Japanese coast (b) ……………….. (c)
………………a little boy he had (d)………… played. The low, square stone house was set (e)……………
rocks well (f) ………………a narrow beach that was outlined with bent pines. His father had taken
him often to the islands of those seas.
TEST YOUR SKILLS
4.Choose the best word from the options given below to complete the following passages:
1. I started (a) …………….. (at, for, on, in)school very late that morning. (b)…………(Often, never, ever, rare)
I am late for school (c) …………… (as, because, since, for) I have to cover a long distance on foot. I had
not done my home task. For a moment I thought of (d)……………(run, running, ran, runs) away and
spending the day out of door. It was (e) ……………….(so, very, too, little) warm, so bright ! The birds (f)
………………(are,
were,
is,
will)
chirping
at
the
edge
of
woods.
2. Iona moves (a) ……………( in, at, of, on ) (b) …………….(a few, few, little, many) steps, doubles himself
(c)……………,( up, down, on, about) and abandons himself to his grief. In less than five minutes he
(d)……………( straightens, straightened, straightening, will straighten) himself. He can bear it (e)
……………(no longer, any longer, much longer, less longer) About (f)………………(an, a, the, one) hour
and a half Iona is seated by a large stove.
EDITING TASK
ERROR CORRECTION
5. The following passages have not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and
the correction against the correct question number. Remember to underline the word you have supplied.
1. Maricha changed him into a charming golden
(a) _________ __________
deer on surpassing beauty and wandered
around an ashrama playfully in order to
Draw Sita’s attention. She is gathering
flowers near the ashrama, while she suddenly
saw the golden deer. Enchanted with the charming
beauty of the animal, she asked Rama and Lakshmana
to look at the exquisite animal.
(b)__________
(c) __________
(d)__________
(e) _________
(f) __________
___________
___________
____________
____________
_____________
TEST YOUR SKILLS
6. The following passages have not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and
the correction against the correct question number. Remember to underline the word you have supplied.
1. The Taj Mahal, situated in the
(a)
____________ __________
banks of river Yamuna us the most
(b)
____________ __________
beautiful mausoleum in a world.
(c)
____________ __________
its minarates and domes stands
(d)
____________ __________
testimony for the greatness of
(e)
____________ __________
Mughal architecture. Although it have lost
(f)
____________ __________
its pure white colour which attracted a lot of
tourists.
2. Amnesty International, a worldwide
(a)
__________ __________
Organisation for the defence to human
(b)
__________ __________
37 | P a g e
Rights, is one of the few institution
To have win the Nobal Peace Prize.
Most winners had been individuals.
Amnesty was award the Peace Prize
In 1977 for paving a way to freedom for justice.
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
TEST YOUR SKILLS
7. Edit the letter given below by choosing from the appropriate options :
To
The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi
Sir
I want to bring (a) for your notice the frequent breakdown of (b) electrical in Patparganj. Inspite (c) to many
reminders the Electricity Board has done (d) something except (e) gave false promise. The students and old
people (f) will the worst sufferers. Even the voltage is very low. The supply is very erratic. I hope the Board will
take immediate steps to ease the situation.
Yours faithfully
Ram Lal
8. There is one error in each line of the following passage. Write the correct answer in your
answer sheet
Solved
INCORRECT
A policeman responded for a burglary report at a house.
for
CORRECT
to
Sagarnil sat down at the couch to take a statement,
at
on
Not realising a burglar is hiding under it. The homeowner looked
is
was
down and saw the burglar lying flat in his stomach half under
in
on
and behind the couch. His head was right near the policeman
policeman
legs. The policeman jump off the couch and the man was
jump
policeman’s
jumped
arrested, when handing back stolen jewellery and a camera.
when
after
9.There is one error in each line of the following passage. Write the correct answer in your
answer sheet.
38 | P a g e
INCORRECT
CORRECT
It was not the body part you are likely to think much about.
was
is
But with just a little effort, you could prolong the life of your brain
could
can
cells. According for Alzheimer’s disease international, at least
for
to
36 million people has dementia worldwide, a figure that is projected
has
have
to increase of over 115 million by 2050. The fastest growth of
of
to
the disease among the elderly is taking place at India, China and
at
in
other developing countries. So its pays to do what you can now to
its
it
decrease your chances be part of those worrying statistics.
be
being
OMISSION OF WORDS
10.In the following passages one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word along
with the word that comes before and the word that comes after it. Ensure that the word that forms
your answer is underlined:
1. In the bejewelled beauty Lakshadweep. the most(a) ____________ __________
glittering is Minicoy, southernmost island of the
(b)____________ __________
arechipelago. You can tell the diifference even you
(c) ____________ __________
land at the jetty. Dressed jeans and T-Shirts, the wiry, (d) ___________
__________
muscular young man truly children of the sea.
(e) ____________ ___________
Pulling the ropes. Steering of piloting, there no
(f)______________ __________
doubt they were born on the sea and are meant for
the sea. Half of the male population are sailors.
2. In the process pasteurization, milk, wine,
(a) ____________ __________
butter. etc. are heated up a certain
(b)____________ __________
temperature then quickly chilled. This
(c) ____________ __________
kills the bacteria them. If milk is
(d) ___________
__________
heated upto 63 30 minutes in between
(e) ____________ ___________
72-85 for 16 seconds then chilled to 10 less.
(f)______________ _________
Bacteria present in it are destroyed.
Pasteurization protects the milk from being spoiled.
39 | P a g e
11. In the following paragraph one word has been omitted in each line. Find the place
where you think the word is missing and write the same in your answer sheet.
The Ganesh festival comes to / end after innumerable giant,
an
Ornate idols of the wish-fulfilling god of wisdom / prosperity
and
/ immersed in the sea. Before immersion in September, the idols
are
are worshipped by local communities / 10 days. Here, devotees
for
Throng Mumbai’s downtown Chowpatty Beach / last year’s
during
immersion to bid farewell / their most beloved deity.
to
12.In the following paragraph one word has been omitted in each line. Find the place where
you think the word is missing and write the same in your answer sheet.
In Chinese mythology, tigers / highly revered.
are
And the great cats / historically inspired everyone
have
/ poets to warriors. They now also symbolise
from
vanishing environments / support both animals
that
and humans. There’s / saying that when the tiger
a
disappears, / forests will fall.
The
40 | P a g e
13.In the following paragraph one word has been omitted in each line. Find the place
where you think the word is missing and write the same in your answer sheet.
On a grey and chilly morning / September last year, 72 passengers
in
boarded a Tupolev Tu-154 airliner / the five-hour trip from Polyarny,
for
in northwest Russia, to Moscow. Like many / their fellow travelers,
of
Stanislav and Ekaterina Shestakov / flown the route often enough
had
to know the cabin / crew name. But that didn’t make Stanislav
by
any calmer. As always, he felt certain / the flight would end badly.
That
TEST YOUR SKILLS
14. In the following passages one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word along
with the word that comes before and the word that comes after it. Ensure that the word that forms
your answer is underlined:
1. Former military officers are welcomed anti-Gaddafi
protestors in Benghazi Friday. Muammar Gadddafi’s
forces opened fire on protestors surged on
to streets of Tripoli for the first time
killing four. The second- largest city Benghazi
was said be in control of the protestors while
thousands held rallies in cities encircling Tripoli.
(a) ____________
(b)____________
(c) ____________
(d) ___________
(e) ____________
(f)______________
__________
__________
__________
__________
___________
__________
2. Mass media is best means for communication
In general, media means for communication.
Literary media is a to hear and visualise
the different realities life.
In the olden times media not as important as
it is today. This is due the various
advancements and achievements in the field
of communication.
(a) ____________
(b)____________
(c) ____________
(d) ___________
(e) ____________
(f)______________
__________
__________
__________
__________
___________
__________
SENTENCE REORDERING
15. Look at the words and phrases given below. Rearrange them to form meaningful sentences.
1. (a)
(b)
(c)
Answers
(a)
(b)
respect/said that/demanded/it/but/is/given/that/is not
if/something/then/in return for/should be/it is so/it
self-respect/come out of/something/has/our/self/that/and/is/that
(Solved)
It is said that respect is not demanded but given.
If it is so, then it should be in return for something.
41 | P a g e
(c)
2. (a)
(b)
(c)
3.
Something that has come out of our self and that is self-respect.
Oliver Twist/workhouse/in/was/born/a
Knew/father/nobody/who/was/his
died/mother/his birth/his/soon/after
(a)
(b)
(c)
pillars/there/human life/man/of/woman/and/are/two
both/ in the making of/share/responsibility/equal/the/society
both/each other/hence/are/supplement/to
4.
(a)
(b)
(c)
one of the/Saudi Arabia/largest/petroleum/producers/is/world/in/the/of
Saudi Arabia/life style/discovery/has changed/of/of the people/the/ petroleum/in/the
petroleum/world/all over/in great/is/demand/the
5.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a)
(b)
(c)
upper most/soil/layer/is/earth/the/of/the
it/plants/which/supports/food/provide/all living things/to/planet/on/this
soil/thus/foundation/earth/life/on/of/is/the/all
people/look at/tend to/you look/the way/yourself/at/you
brought up/Oliver/was/workhouse/orphanage/run by/the/an/in
from the very beginning/status of women/there/but/question mark/has
been/a/big/the/an/in our society.
6.
More Questions
a) Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences.
i) bike/
blue/./Nitish/rode/his/new/ Ans.
Nitish rode his new blue bike.
ii) Grandmother/ in/the/played/./and/her/park/Sunita/
Ans. Sunita and her Grandmother played in the park.
iii) / ./ and/ Father/ to/ store/ Mother/ the/ went/
Ans. Mother and Father went to the store.
b) Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences.
i) hall/the/down/the/all/walked/children/./
Ans. all the children walked down the hall.
ii) a/ hid/ in/ garden/ Spot/./the/bone/
Ans. Spot hid a bone in the garden.
iii) There/./two/in/the/are/birds/nest/
Ans. There are two birds in the nest.
c) Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences.
i) Mr.Shyam/ our/ has/teacher/ a/ named/ Timmy/./cat/
Ans. Our teacher Mr. Shyam has a cat named Timmy.
ii) Sandy/,/,/ likes/./to/ the/ run/sprinkler
Ans. My dog, Sandy, likes to run through the sprinkler.
iii) Ravan/ like/Ram/ to/./cricket/and/play/
Ans. Ram and Ravan like to play cricket.
d) Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences.
i) park/./is/a/place/walk/for/green/good/
Ans. Green park is a good place for walk.
ii) high/hill/on/./the/standard/school/sits/
42 | P a g e
Ans. Standard School sits high on the hill.
iii) is/my/Disneyland/favourite/park/./amusement/
Ans. Disneyland is my favourite amusement park.
e) Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences.
i) snow/stays/mountains/the/(Arunachal Pradesh)/Tawang/in/./,/on/the/winters/
Ans. In Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), snow stays on the mountains in the winters.
ii) friend/,/,/./my/rose/a/beautiful/bird/when/at/was/park/found/she/
Ans. My friend, Rose, found a beautiful bird when she was at park.
iii) Jigyasa/,/ I /walked/around/ daughter/my/a/lake/with.
Ans. I walked around a lake with my daughter, Jigyasa.
SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION
TYPE-I
Read the following conversations and complete the passage given below:
1. Patient
:
Can I have an appointment with the doctor this evening?
I am very sick.
Receptionist
:
I’m sorry. There’s a long waiting list. You will have to wait
for at least two weeks.
Patient
:
But by then I can die.
Receptionist
:
No problem. If your wife informs me, I can cancel the
appointment.
A patient went to his doctor’s clinic and asked the receptionist (a) ………………………………………..
…………………..………………………………………………....... with the doctor that evening. He said to the
receptionist that he was very sick. The receptionist apologized saying that there (b) …………..
……………………………………………………………………….. . She further added that (c) …………………………
…………………………………………………………………. for at least two weeks. When the patient said that he
could be dead by then, the receptionist calmly replied that there was no problem.
2. Iris
:
Hi, Tom, How are you?
Tom
:
Life’s rather tough. I desperately need a job.
Iris
:
We have a vacancy in our office for the post of an Accounts
Officer.
Tom
:
I have five years experience in a reputed firm as an Accounts
Officer.
Iris
:
Will you like to go abroad?
Tom
:
I have on problem.
Iris on meeting Tom asked him how he was. Tom replied that (a) …………………………………………
………………………………………………………. Iris told him (b) …………………………………………………………. . On that
Tom (c) …………………………………………………………………………….. Iris enquired if he would like to go abroad
and Tom replied that he had no problem.
TEST YOUR SKILLS
Read the following conversations and complete the passage given below:
1. Principal
:
Why are you seeking admission to the school?
Arpita
:
Your school has talented teachers.
Principal
:
To which stream do you wish to take admission?
Arpita
:
I wish to take admission in the Science stream.
The principal asked Arpita (a) …………………………………………………………………………………….. . Arpita
replied that (b) ……………………………………………………………………………………. The principal then wanted
know (c) ……………………………………………………………………………… . Arpita told him that she wished to
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take admission in the science stream.
2. Teacher
:
Amit, where did you buy this practical file from? Can you
buy one for me?
Amit
:
Sir, do you want exactly the same?
Teacher
:
Yes.
Amit
:
O.K. Sir. I’ll buy one for you today.
The teacher asked Amit (a) ………………………………………………………………………………………… He further
asked him (b) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Amit respectfully
enquired (c ) ……………………………………………………………………………………… His teacher replied in
affirmative. Then Amit assured him that he would buy one for him that day.
TYPE – II
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
Transform the following sentences as directed:
1. They are counting the votes.
(Change the voice)
2. I will not help you in future.
(Use ‘going’ to construction’)
3. Yes, the news are true.
(Correct it)
Transform the following sentences as directed:
1. You always travel by bus.
(Make a ‘Wh’ question)
2. Go to the barber and get …….
(Complete the sentence)
3. I must remember take my science book tomorrow.
(Correct it)
Do as directed :
1. The mother asked the daughter to tidy her room and she tidied her room.
(Rewrite the sentence avoiding the repetition of the underlined clause)
2. Trees were planted along road sides. This made the surroundings look greener.
(Combine the sentences by nominalising the first verb)
3. ……….. prohibited.
(Complete the sentence using ‘gerund’ as the subject)
Do as directed :
1. The Principal is not in her office. Surely she ……… home.
(Complete using the right modal)
2. Economics are really a very tough subject.
(Correct it)
3. He said, “Welcome to our college.”
(Change the narration)
Do as directed:
1. I generally don’t like ice cream, but …………? (Complete using ‘would like’ construction)
2. He said, “Will you help me?” and I said, “yes”.
(Change the narration)
3. A mystery is something that ………………… .
(Complete using the passive form of ‘cannot explain’)
Transform the following sentences as directed:
1. She said, “I decided to work hard because hard work is the key to success”.
(Change the narration)
2. Left me/my parents/with her/they/in the city/when/went to live.
(Rearrange to form a meaningful sentence)
3. This is among two friends and will be solved on mutual understanding.
(Use the correct prepositions)
Transforms the following sentences as directed:
1. Your house may be (big) but mine is, (good) than you.
(Use the ‘comparative’ degree’)
2. The bomb exploded. This shattered the window panes.
The window panes were shattered due to …………………..
44 | P a g e
VIII.
IX.
X.
(Complete the sentence ‘nominalising’ the verb ‘exploded’)
3. If we (play) well. We (win) the match.
(Use If + past perfect + would have + past participle construction)
Do as directed :
1. The well built boy which I met at the airport is a famous football player.
(Correct the sentence using the correct relative pronoun)
2. Mohan was irritated by the noise. Mohan left the place.
(Combine using the correct past participle form of the verb).
3. We all make mistakes.
It is human.
(Combine the pair using ‘gerund’ as the subject)
Do as directed :
1. If I were you, ………………………………..
(Complete the sentence)
2. Meena and Neena went to the garden with (a) …….. aunt and found (b) …………….. full of
mangoes.
(Use the correct pronouns in the blanks)
3. They have enough money. They ………….. from the bank.
(Use the correct form of the modal ‘need’)
Do as directed:
1. You were absent (a) ……….. the class ………………. Monday.
(Use the right prepositions)
2. There are clouds in the sky. It ………………. .
(Complete the sentence using the modal showing ‘possibility’)
3. They ………… not challenge the authority of their boss.
(Fill the proper ‘modal’ in the blank)
QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE
Q. 1. There was a storm brewing outside and you were all alone. Suddenly the lights went out. --------In about 200 words write a story using ideas from the unit “Mystery” together with your own
ideas. You could use some of the phrases given below:Jumped in fright
disappeared in a flash
Screamed in terror
scared the daylight out of me
To my relief
touched something eerie
Q.2 One of your family members fell sick and is admitted in a hospital for treatment. You made
up your mind to know the state of the patient and visit the hospital. Your experience
there was very shocking when you saw the poor plight of the patients and infrastructure.
Describe your visit to the hospital in about 120 words.
HINTS
1. Use past Tense
2. Include all the facts like unhygienic surroundings, stinking toilets, over crowded rooms,
stray dogs and cats inside, no security and low quality of diet etc. within the word limit.
3. No personal opinion while describing an
Ans. Last week, I visited Life Line hospital in Mirzapur. My first experience there was very shocking. The
hospital surroundings were unhygienic with over flowing garbage bins and choked sewage. The
toilets were not cleaned regularly and were stinking awfully. The rooms were over crowded with
45 | P a g e
patients and some of them were lying on the floor. The patients were served with very low quality
diet and unpurified water. Doctors were not regular in their visits. The stray dogs and cats were
also sharing some of the beds with the patients increasing the risk of infection to the patients.
As a whole the plight of the hospital beggared description.
Q. 3 Your teacher has assigned you a project on Child Labour in FA-2. You interviewed a child of
a slum near your locality and was greatly moved to see her/ his interest to study in spite
of his / her poor plight. Write a diary entry sharing your thoughts, emotions about the
child.
Solve: - place/Date
Content including People, event, and emotions & feeling about the incident
Ans : Place : Kharagpur
17th September 2012
Last Sunday, I visited a slum near my locality. There I met a boy of 12 years who was working
in a dhaba. On enquiry I came to know that he had to raise his family of five members as
he had lost his father in childhood. He was ill –clad and very sickly as he was poorly paid
and malnourished. But he had a strong interest to study and to go to school if there was
any chance. I came back with a heavy heart to see his exploitation and promised to give
him my clothes and books and to help him to study in my free time.
Q. 4.
Physical fitness is extremely important for the development of an intellectual mind.
However in today’s fast-paced existence, physical well being is not given much
importance. Using your own ideas as well as those given on the unit “Sports and Games”
write an article in about 100 -120 words for your school magazine emphasizing the need
of physical fitness and the ways of acquiring it
Suggested points:

Reference to adventure camp-when/where etc.

Activities and what you learnt/ gained

How you enjoyed them suggestion to join this year.

Any other relevant point can be accepted.
Q.5 You have recently enjoyed a Delhi Metro Ride with a close associate. The traffic Discipline
and modern technology forced you to pen down your experience. Express the joyful
experience through a diary entry.
Tips. 1. Day, Date, Time
2. Event in past tense with correct experience & expressions.
Ans.
12th Sept.
A joyful ride in a Metro
Sunday: - 6.00 pm
Recently I had an opportunity to enjoy a joyful ride in Delhi Metro with a close Friend. The
discipline in the ticket Counter, the spick and span surroundings and the systematic
commuters were praiseworthy. The use of technology in announcement system,
controlling the opening and closing of the doors and the speed maintenance was
stunning. My maiden experience of the ride was full of joy and excitement and I want to
experience this joy ride once again.
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Q. 6 Complete the newspaper headlines by choosing the correct answer from the options given
below- 3 MARKS
1.ANIMALS FLEE FLOODED KAZIRANGA
Flood waters of the Brahamputra entered Kaziranga National Park (a)……………….scores of
endangered animals to escape to safer areas.
2. FOOTBALL CRYING FOR CHANGE; FEDERER
Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer insists it is time football followed tennis’ (b)……………….
to avoid a repeat of the disallowed goal scandal raised in the World Cup.
3. 16 HELD WITH FAKE TIGER AND LION SKIN
As many as 16 persons including women from Karnataka (c)……………… for selling fake tusks
of elephants lion and tiger skin and nails of wild animals in the city outskirts.
Q.7 Given below are some tips on how to make Mexican Hot Salsa. Read the given hints
complete the passage by filling in the gaps.
Mexican Hot Salsa
Ingredients-3tomatoes, boiled 1capcicum ½ an onion a pinch of chilli powder, 1tsp.
vinegar, 1/2tsp. sugar Salt pepper to taste and ½ tsp. thymol seeds (ajwain)
Method:
There are some simple steps that can help you to make Mexican Hot Salsa. First (a)----------------------. Next, take a little hot oil -------------- and cook the onions with ajwain, chilies and vinegar.
Add the blanched and chopped tomatoes to this and (b) ------------------ and red chili powder to it.
Add the capsicum and (c) ----------------.Serve as a dip with wafers, tortilla chips or vegetables.
Q8.The following passage has not been edited. Edit the following passage.
The medicines prescribed by the Doctor will relieve you of pain. But you (a)may always read the
instructions before consuming the medicines. You (b) will stick on to the dose prescribed;
otherwise you (c) should develop counter symptoms. This (d) will be dangerous. So one (e)
might be careful in matter of medicines. It is better to be sure than repenting later. Some
medicines can be poisonous and (f)must have disastrous consequences.
Q9 Complete the following dialogue
1x4=4
Patrick : Good morning Mr. Smith. It is long since I saw you in town. Are you staying long?
Smith : Good morning. No Mr. Patrick (a) ………. and hope to get home again this evening.
Patrick : Running away so soon? (b)………….and enjoy yourself?
Smith : Not I (c) ………… in the smoky air and noise of your town. I want the clean
air, the sunshine and the quiet of the country.
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Q10. Read the following conversation and complete the paragraph below 3 MARKS
Mother
: Rahul, where did you go around noon?
Rahul
: Mom, I was with Sanjay at his house.
Mother
: You should have told of it. I was greatly worried.
Rahul
: I am sorry, mom, I shall do so in future.
Mother asked her son Rahul (i)
. Rahul replied that (ii)
Mother instructed him that (iii)
regretted it and said that he would do so in future.
as she was greatly worried. Rahul
Q 11. Complete the following passage
[4 marks]
George did not mind Roger (i)
in the room, for he behaved himself well and did
not distract my attention. Usually, if he was sleeping very heavily and (ii)
a
peasant dog barking, Roger would wake up with a start and utter a couscous roar of rage before
realizing where he was. Then he would give an embarrassed look at our (iii)
faces, his
tail would twitch, and he would glance round the room sheepishly.
Q.12 Read the following conversation carefully and complete the passage. 3 MARKS
Amita: What do you want to do this morning?
Prakash: I feel like taking a walk. It’s so nice outside.
Amita: Great, let’s walk around the lake in the park.
Prakash: It’s really rocky here.
Amita; Yes, watch your steps so you don’t trip.
Amita asked Prakash(a)
. Prakash answered that he (b)
. It was so nice
outside. Amita agreed to this and suggested (c)
. Then Prakash observed that it was
really rocky there. Amita cautioned him to watch his steps.
Q.13 Below is a letter from Pawan to his mother. Complete this letter.
3 MARKS
Dear Mom
I hope all’s well (a)
you. Everything is fine here. I am sorry I (b)
write earlier
as I was busy with the examinations. They are now almost over. I am sure you will be glad to
(c)
that I have filled up the NDA form. The entrance test is scheduled (d)
the 14 th
of June, and that very day I am going to(e)
forward to a reply (f)
you soon.
Center which is close to my hostel . Looking
Yours affectionately
Pawan
48 | P a g e
Questions for Practice with Answer
Q.1 Read the following conversations then complete the blanks given in the reported
speech.
(6x 1/2=3 Marks)
i) My father said, “Honesty is the best policy.”
My father said
.
ii) “The Earth moves round the Sun,” the teacher said.
The teacher
.
iii) I love watching films, “Sneha said to me”
Sneha
.
Q.2 Read the following conversations then complete the blanks given in the reported
speech through the
i) I said to Amrit, “where have you been living all these days?”
I asked Amrit where
.
ii) Yagvinder said, “my friends are very helpful to me”.
Yagvinder said that
.
iii) Mini said to you, “Your teachers have praised you.”
Mini told you
.
Q.3 Read the following conversations then complete the blanks given in the reported
speech through the
i) The teacher said, “I will be explaining all these problems next week.
The Teacher said
.
49 | P a g e
ii) Monika said to me,” you can stay with us whenever you are in Delhi.”
Monika told me
.
iii) Sarika said,” I want to buy a computer but I can’t afford it.”
Sarika said
.
Q.4 Read the following conversations then complete the blanks given in the reported
speech through the
i) Abhilash said to Pooja,”where have you been all these days.”
Abhilash asked Pooja_
.
ii) Udita said to her uncle,”let me go home now as it is getting dark.”
Udita requested her uncle
.
iii) Sarah said to Angela, “Let’s go to some hill station for a change.”
Sarah proposed to Angela_
.
SECTION-C LITERATURE TEXTBOOK & LONG READING TEXT
25 Marks
How I Taught
My Grandmother to Read
Lesson at a Glance














The narrator was a girl of twelve and lived in a village of north Karnataka with her grandparents.
At that time, Triveni was very popular among people for her style and subjects of her stories.
In her novel Kashi Yatre, the heroine is an old lady who desires to go to Kashi to worship Lord
Vishweshwara.
The old lady gives away all her savings to an orphan girl because she has no money for her wedding.
The Old lady, the heroine of Kashi yatre considers the happiness of this orphan girl more important
than worshipping, Lord Vishweshwara at Kashi.
The narrator’s 62-year old grandmother, Krishtakka could not read and so she would ask her
granddaughter to ready every episode of Kashi Yatre with her friends at the temple.
Once the narrator went to a neighbouring village for a wedding and came back only after a week.
When the narrator came back to her village, she was surprised to see her grandmother in tears.
The grandmother narrated her story. She lost her mother at a very young age and her father got
married again.
The grandmother never went to school and at times used to regret not going to school.
She made sure that her children and grandchildren studied well.
In the narrator’s absence, the grandmother opened the magazine Karmaveera but couldn’t
understand anything written there.
She surprised her granddaughter by declaring that she had decided to learn the Kannada alphabet
from the next day.
She kept Saraswati Pooja day during Dassara as the deadline. That day she should be able to read a
novel on her town.
50 | P a g e








Childishly, the narrator made fun of the old lady but the grandmother just smiled.
The next day onwards, the narrator started her tuition.
The grandmother proved to be a wonderful student and did amazing amount of homework.
On the Dassara festival day the grandmother called her granddaughter to the pooja place and made
her sit down on a stool.
Then she did something quite unusual. She touched the feet of her granddaughter.
The grandmother explained that she was touching the feet of a teacher not of her granddaughter.
The narrator gave her gift to her first student. It was a copy of Kashi Yatre.
The grandmother opened the novel and read immediately the title Kashi Yatre by Triveni. She had
passed with flying colours.
SUMMARY OF THE LESSON
In ‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read’, Sudha Murty describe the determined efforts of an illiterate old
lady Krishakka to make herself literate. She decided to read a novel on her own. The grandmother set the
deadline and achieved the impossible within the time set for the target. She was able to read the novel Kashi
Yatre in the Kannada language on her own at sixty-two. She was helped by her young granddaughter who
acted as her only teacher. The grandmother proved that there is no age bar for learning.
REFERENCE TO CONTEXT
Read the given extracts and answer the question that follows:
1. One of her novels, called Kashi Yatre, was appearing as a serial in the Kannada weekly Karamveera
then. It is the story of an old lady and her ardent desire to go to Kashi or Varansi.
Questions
1. Who is the author of Kashi Yatre?
2. Like the old lady in Kashi Yatre, who was the other character who had ardent desire to go to Kashi?
3. What do you know about Karamveera on the basis of the above passage?
TEST YOUR SKILLS
I.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Why was Triveni so popular among the people? Give two reasons.
2. Describe Triveni’s Kashi yatre. Why did the grandmother like it so much?
3. How did the grandmother know the text of every new episode of Kashi Yatre by heart inspite
of not able to ready anything?
4. Why did the narrator go to an neighbouring village? What change did she notice when she
came back to her village?
5. The Describe the grandmother’s childhood.
6. Why couln’t the grandmother learn anything even after her marriage?
7. What made the grandmother take the most momentous decision of her life?
8. What was the most unusual decision of the grandmother and why did she do so?
9. Why did the narrator laugh at her grandmother? Was she proved right in this regard?
10. What efforts did the grandmother make to learn the Kannada alphabet and language?
11. What was the deadline? Did the grandmother achieve her target in the stipulated time?
12. Why did the grandmother touch the feet of the narrator? What does it show about her
character?
13. Highlight the message given by the lesson ‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read’.
II.
VALUE BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
51 | P a g e
1. Give a character sketch of the grandmother highlighting her dedication and determination to
achieve her target.
2. Describe the role of the granddaughter in educating the grandmother.
3. Why did the grandmother take most unusual decision of her life and how did she succeed?
4. “For learning age is no bar.” Doesn’t this message highlight the importance of ‘Adult
Education’ in India? Write your opinion.
A Dog Name Duke
William D. Ellis
Lesson at a Glance




In 1953, Chuck Charle Hooper was a favoured young man. Everything was going well for him.
He was already a zone sales manager for a chemical company.
One day while driving home he met with a horrible car accident.
He was taken to a hospital with a subdural haemorrhage and a completely paralysed left side of the
body.
 Hooper remained on the critical list for a month.
 His company asked him to take a year off and promised to create a desk job for him at headquarters.
 Chuck Hooper’s paralysed arm and leg were given a special treatment in the hospital. Every day there
was someone working his paralysed arm and leg by baths, exercises, a wheeled walker.
 But Chuck didn’t make much improvement.
 In March, they let him out of the hospital. Here, his condition became worse because there was no
one beside him.
 Finally, Chuck Hooper’s beloved dog Duke was called home from the kennel.
 When Duke saw Hooper, He jumped on him causing him to fight to keep his balance.
 The intelligent dog realised his mistake. He never jumped on Chuck Hoop0er again.
 The two, Hooper and Duke, used to stare at each other day in and day out.
 Chuck Hooper felt lonely and was always lost in his thoughts.
 Duke finally couldn’t stand the boredom and yearned to go out with his master.
 One evening Chuck’s good hand idly hooked the leash onto Duke’s collar to hold him still. For Duke, it
was like lighting a fuse.
 With Hooper standing, the dog walked to the end of the leash and tugged steadily.
 Leaning back against the pull, Hooper learned to keep his balance without Marcy.
 Duke’s re-entry into Hooper’s life lifted his numb spirits.
 The day Duke made Hooper take his first step, the hope was rekindled.
 By now neighbours on their street were watching the pattern of Hooper’s progress.
 On June 1, Hooper and Duke walked up to an intersection quite far away.
 On January 4, Hooper surprised the staf by walking to the local branch office of the company.
 Hooper further amazed his staff by setting his next objective : March 1, a full day’s work.
 After March 1, Hooper had no time for physiotherapy and depended completely on Duke.
 Duke pulled him along the street, increasing Hooper’s stability and endurance.
 On the evening of October 1957, the Hoopers had guests. Suddenly they heard the screech of brakes
outside and looked for Duke.
 Duke was run over and driven to the animal hospital with severe injuries.
 He was drugged but could not survive.
 A few weeks ago, Hooper was promoted to Assistant National Sales Manager.
 The promotion order was so worded as if it was a special tribute to Duke. “......... therefore, to advance
our objectives step by step, Charles Hooper is appointed Assistant National Sales Manager”.
 Actually, it was Duke who advanced Hooper’s objective step by step and made him a normal man.
52 | P a g e
SUMMARY OF THE LESSON
Hooper used to be a highly motivated and result-oriented ‘hard-charging’ zone sales manager for a
chemical company. An accident reduced him to a paralysed cripple. Despair had led him on to helplessness.
But his dog Duke’s re-entry into his life lifted his numb spirits. Duke taught and helped him to cope with the
challenge and led him to accept the changed mode of life. Hooper could walk down on foot to his office. He
was promoted to the Assistant National Sales Manager. But Duke, his beloved dog, who helped him to
achieve his objectives step by step died in an accident.
REFERENCE TO CONTEXT (EXEMPELRY QUESTIONS)
Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow:
1. He was already a hard-charging zone sales manager for a chemical company. Everything was going for
him.
Questions
1. Who does ‘He’ refer to here?
2. What happened to the sales manager?
3. What does the expression ‘Everything was going for him’ mean here?
QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE
I.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. How was Hooper a ‘favoured youngman’ in 1953?
2. How did Chuck Hooper meet with a ghastly accident and with what results?
3. What favour did the company show to Hooper after the accident?
4. How did the excitement of the homecoming wear off?
5. Why would Hooper stare at the ceiling for hours?
6. How did Hooper take the first step?
7. Why would Duke lie down with a reproachful eye on Hooper?
8. How did the pair set their daily goals and achieve them?
9. How were the neighbours watching the pattern of Hoper’s progress?
10. How did Hooper walk down to the local office and what did he say to the staff there?
11. What problems did Hooper’s move present in the company’s headquarters?
12. How did Hooper set the target and hit it/ How did the company reward him?
13. How did Duke die?
14. What was the real tribute to Duke?
II. VALUE BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. Describe the changes that the ghastly accident brought in the life of Hooper. How did he overcome
them?
2. Describe the role of the Duke in taking his master to the working-desk. Describe graphically the
pattern of Hooper’s progress and the role of Duke in it.
3. In
‘A
Dog Named Duke’, it is the dog that leads and controls the man and not the man who controls the
dog. Explain.
POETRY
THE BROOK: by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Poem at a Glance
 The brook originates from a place that is frequented by water birds like coot and her.
 In its initial stage, the brook makes sudden sally and comes down noisily to a valley.
 During its onward journey, it hurries down thirty hills, twenty villages, a little town and fifty
bridges.
 It makes different types of sounds at different places and times.
 It chatters over stony ways, it creates sharps and trebles.
53 | P a g e






It babbles on the pebbles and murmurs under moon and stars.
Even the movement the brook keeps on changing.
It hurries down the hills, steals by lawns and grassy plots, slides by hazel covers and slips between
the ridges.
Mostly it flows in a zigzag manner.
Men may come and men may go but the brook will flow forever.
The existence of men is transitory but the existence of the brook is eternal.
SUMMARY OF THE LESSON
This poem of Lord Tennyson describes the journey of a stream from its place of origin to the
‘brimming’ river that it joins. The brook itself relates its experiences as it has been personified in
this poem. It makes a sudden ‘sally’ from the place of its birth. It hurries down thirty hills, slips
between the ridges and passes through twenty villages and a small town before joining the
brimming river.
‘Men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.’
The poet brings an effective contrast between the transient life of man and the eternal onward
flow of the brook.
Reference to context:
By thirty ……………………………………….bridges.
Q.1Name the poetic device used in twenty … town .
Q.2 Explain slip between the ridges.
Q.3 What is the rhyme scheme .
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTION:
1. Describe personification.
2. What is refrain?
3. Describe sound and noises mentioned in the poem?
VALUE BASED QUESTIONS
1. Describe the complete journey of the brook in your own words.
The Road Not Taken
Lesson at a Glance
 The poet was standing at a place where two roads ‘diverged in a yellow wood’.
 He was sorry that he couldn’t travel both at the same time.
 He looked down one as far as he could till it bent away in the undergrowth.
 The other road was just as fair and perhaps presented a better claim.
 The second road was grassy, less frequented by travellers and ‘wanted wear’.
 The poet had to make a choice and he resolved the dilemma.
 He chose the second road and ‘kept the first for another day’.
 The poet had a doubt that he would never get a chance to travel on the first road again.
 The choice had been made and it made all the difference in his life.
 It was very difficult to say whether the choice was right or wrong on the spur of the moment.
 But the poet didn’t seem to be very happy with his choice.
Summary of the Lesson
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In ‘The Road Not Taken’, Robert Frost makes a fascinating use of two roads as a metaphor for life. The two
roads serve as a metaphor for the choices we make in life. Thus, the roads are, in fact, two alternative ways of
life. The choice we make has a far-reaching consequence. The poet leaves the first road for the other day
knowing well that he will never get a chance to come back to it again in life. He chooses the second road
which is less travelled by and this choice has made all the difference in his life.
Test Your Skills
I
1.
Reference to Context
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
(a) Why does the poet feel ‘sorry’ ?
(b) Where do the two roads diverge in ?
(c) What is the mood of the poet in these lines ?
II
Short Answer Type Questions
1. Describe how the two roads stand for the two ways or alternatives of life ?
2. Describe both the roads that lay before the poet. Why did he take a long time to make a
Choice?
3. How did the poet resolve the dilemma? Why didn’t he choose the first road ?
4. Why did the poet choose the second road ? Was it a good choice ?
III
Value Based Long Answer Questions
1. Do you think the poet was not happy with his choice ? Give an example to prove your point.
2. Which road would you choose and why ?
3. “And that has made all the difference”, says the poet. What is ‘the difference’ that the poet mentions
?
4. Robert Froast uses two roads in the poem as two alternative ways of life. Describe the roads as
metaphor for life.
The Solitary Reaper
Lesson at a Glance
 The poet sees a Highland girl reaping and singing all alone in a field.
 She is cutting and binding crops and singing a song in her local dialect.
 The song at once affects the poet and he listens to it with rapt attention.
 The song of the solitary reaper is even sweeter than the song of the nightingale that sings to refresh
the tired travellers in the Arabian desert.
 Her song is even more thrilling and exciting than the song of the cuckoo that sings in the spring.
 The poet can’t understand the local dialect in which she is singing. He doesn’t know anything about
the theme of her song.
 He only makes a guess that her sad song is related to some old unhappy things that took place in the
distant past.
 Perhaps the song describes some natural calamity, loss or pain that troubled humanity in the past and
may do so in the future.
 Perhaps she is singing about ordinary day-to-day matters.
 Whatever is the theme, the poet hears it with utmost attention and remains spellbound.
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
The effect of the song remains much after it is heard no more.
Summary of the Lesson
The poet recollects an emotional experience. The poet sees a solitary Highland girl reaping and singing by
herself in the field. The song of the reaper finds an immediate echo in the heart of the poet. He listens to her
song standing there silently. The melodious song leaves a deep impact on the poet. The song continues
echoing in his heart long after it is heard no more. The beautiful experience gives him a long-lasting pleasure.
Test Your Skills
I
1.
Reference To Context
Alone she cuts, and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen ! for the vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.
a. What is the girl doing in the field ?
b. What is the nature of her song ?
c. What is the result of the song ?
II
Short Answer Type Questions
1. Where did the poet see the reaper and what made him stop there?
2. Describe the song of the solitary reaper.
3. Why does the poet compare the song of the solitary reaper to the song of the nightingale and the
cuckoo?
4. What does the poet speculate about the theme and the subject matter of the reaper’s song?
5. What was the effect of the song on the poet?
6. Was the effect momentary or lasting? Support your answer by quoting lines from the text.
7. ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is a typical Wordsworthian poem about nature and man. Give your views on the
subject.
III
Value Based Long Answer Questions
1. Describe the solitary reaper and her song. How does it impress the poet?
2. The song of the reaper was unique. It was sweeter than the song of the nightingale and more thrilling
than that of the cuckoo. What profound effect did it have on the poet?
3. Write a critical appreciation of the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’.
Lord Ullin’s Daughter
Lesson at a Glance
 Lord Ullin’s daughter fell in love with a Scottish Chieftain.
 Lord Ullin was against their marriage and so his beautiful daughter eloped with her lover.
 When he came to know of the elopement, Lord Ullin became furious and gave them a hot chase with
his armed horsemen.
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










The chieftain asked the boatman to make haste and sail them over the ferry. He also promised to give
him a silver pound as a reward.
If they were found out, Lord Ullin would put him to death.
The valiant boatman promised to sail them over to the ferry only for his extremely beautiful bride.
A storm overlook them and the water waves became threatening like ghosts.
They were in the middle of the storm. It was growing even more furious and beyond the control of
human efforts.
The beautiful lady cried for making haste as she didn’t want to face her angry father.
The stamping of the horses were heard nearer.
At last, the inevitable happened and both the lovers met their watery graves.
Lord Ullin saw his daughter caught up in the storm and promised that he would forgive them.
But the assurance had come too late and he saw his daughter extending one arm for help and the
other around her lover.
Lord Ullin’s wrath was changed into wailing as he saw his beautiful daughter lying dead before his own
eyes.
Summary of the Lesson
‘Lord Ullin’s Daughter’ is a romantic ballad of Thomas Campbell. The ballad describes the tragic love story of
Lord Ullin’s daughter and her lover, the chieftain of Ulva island. Lord Ullin was against their marriage but his
daughter defied him and eloped with her lover. They rowed together in the stormy sea but were hotly chased
by Lord Ullin and his armed men. The stormy waves became the graves of the lovers. Lord Ullin’s wrath soon
changed into wailing and he stood at the shore lamenting over the tragedy.
Test Your Skills
I
1.
Reference To Context
“Now, who be ye, would cross Lochgyle,
This dark and stormy weather?”
“O, I’m the chief of Ulva’s isle,
And this, Lord Ullin’s daughter –
(a) Why was the boatman surprised?
(b) How did the chief introduce himself?
(c) Who was the lady with the chief?
II
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
III
Short Answer Type Questions
Why did the lovers escape to avoid Lord Ullin’s wrath? Did they succeed in their mission?
Describe two characteristics of the boatman in the poem.
Lord Ullin’s daughter faced a dilemma. What did she choose in the end?
How did Lord Ullin and his men follow the lovers?
What did Lord Ullin see when he reached the ‘fatal shore’?
How was Lord Ullin’s wrath changed into wailing and mourning?
Describe the death of the lovers in the stormy sea.
Describe ‘Lord Ullin’s Daughter’ as a romantic ballad.
Value Based Long Answer Questions
1. What is a ballad? Critically examine ‘Lord Ullin’s Daughter’ as one of the most accomplished romantic
ballads of Campbell.
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2. Describe the elopement of the lovers. They escaped the wrath of Lord Ullin but couldn’t escape the
wrath of the stormy sea. Justify your answer by giving examples from the poem.
3. You are one of the horsemen who had gone for the hot chase of the lovers. You saw with your own
eyes Lord Ullin’s beautiful daughter struggling against the stormy sea and dying. Make a diary entry of
what you saw there including the change of Ullin’s wrath and revenge into wailing and mourning for
his daughters.
DRAMA ( VILLA FOR SALE ) BY SACHA GUITRY
DRAMA AT A GLANCE
 Juliette`s villa is for sale.
 `Villa for sale` sign has been hanging on the gate for a proper buyer.
 Juliette is desperately waiting for a buyer.
 She pretends to sell the villa at any price. Even one hundred thousand francs will be twice the cost of
the villa.
 Mr. Gaston and Jeanne come to see the villa.
 Mr. Gaston is not interested in buying it. He knows that Jeanne is buying it for her parents and for her
sister`s children.
 He deliberately finds faults with it. He says that its garden and salon are too small.
 Juliette is a perfect saleswoman. She praises the place, advantages and comforts it provides to its
buyer.
 She demands two hundred and fifty thousand francs. When Mr. Gaston finds it `decidedly excessive`,
she cuts it down to two hundred thousand francs.
 Juliette and Jeanne go upstairs to see the upper floor.
 Mr. Gaston is alone when Mrs. Al Smith comes there.
 Mrs. Al Smith mistakes Mr. Gaston as the owner of the villa.
 She is in a hurry and wants to buy the villa as it is near Paramount Studio where she will be shooting
for some films.
 Mrs. Al Smith strikes the deal in three hundred thousand francs and gives a cheque to Mr. Gaston.
 The rest of the transaction will be completed by her lawyer.
 By now Jeanne has given up the idea of buying the villa.
 After making a deal in three hundred thousand francs, Mr. Gaston takes a complete about- turn.
 He praises the villa, its rooms, the garden, the salon and the baths.
 He even humours his wife. He shows concern for her old parents and her sister`s children.
 He promptly makes the deal with Juliette in two hundred thousand francs.
 He receives the signed receipt and Juliette gets a cheque from him.
 Jeanne doesn`t know what is happening there.
 Juliette was happy to get two hundred thousand francs but Mr. Gaston proved smarter and earned a
cool one hundred thousand francs in the bargain.
SUMMARY OF THE DRAMA
Juliette puts her villa for sale. She pretends to get the `wretched place` off her hands and is ready to `sacrifice
it at any price`. Mr. Gaston`s wife Jeanne wants to buy a villa so that she can put her parents in it. Mr. Gaston
doesn`t want to buy Juliette`s villa and desperately finds fault with it. The garden is very small and the salon is
not very big. Juliette like a perfect sales woman, tries to sell the villain two hundred thousand francs. When
Juliette and Jeanne are upstairs, Mrs. Al Smith comes. She takes Mr. Gaston as the owner. She is in a hurry and
strikes the deal with Mr. Gaston in three hundred thousand francs. She buys the villa as it is near Paramount
Studio where she is going to shoot some films. Now the story takes an interesting turn. Mr. Gaston starts
praising the villa, its bedrooms, baths and gardens. He also starts showing concern for Jeanne`s parents and
her sister`s children. By now Jeanne gives up the idea of buying the villa. Mr. Gaston at once buys the villa in
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two hundred thousand francs from Juliette. Juliette is happy but Mr. Gaston is happier. Jeanne simply can`t
understand what is going on there. Mr. Gaston tells her that he has earned a cool one hundred thousand
francs and a picture of a carrot in the bargain.
REFERENCE TO CONTEXT:
` That was a month ago and now I have only one thought, that is to get the
wretched place off my hands’.
Questions :
1. What does the speaker think about the villa?
2. What is she ready for?
3. Is she really sacrificing the villa at any price? Give a reasoned answer.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. Why was Juliette desperate?
2. Did Juliette really want to sacrifice the villa at any price or only pretending?
3. Why didn`t Mr. Gaston want to buy a villa?
4. How did Juliette presents her villa to Mr. Gaston and Jeanne? What advantages did it offer to the
buyer?
5. Did Mr. Gaston deliberately find faults with the villa? What are the major defects that he pointed
out besides its high price?
6. Why did Jeanne want to buy a villa?
7. Who was Mrs. Al Smith and why was she interested in buying the place?
8. What comments did Mrs. Al Smith make about the French people and with what intention?
9. Why did Mr. Gaston make a complete about – turn?
10. Give two examples to prove that Mr. Gaston was a great opportunist who could change whenever
the situation suited him and his interests.
11. Justify the title of the play?
EXTRACTS FROM POETRY, FICTION AND PLAY.
1. READ THE LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:
3
chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
‘Men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever’
i) Identify the poem and the poet
ii) Explain ‘brimming’. What picture does it create?
iii) Explain the last two lines of the poem.
2. ‘I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my grand daughter’.
3m
i) Name the lesson and it’s author.
ii) Who says this to whom?
iii) Why does the speaker resort to such a noble gesture?
3. I am not in the least surprised. It is a most delightful little place. Its appearance is modest,
but it has a charm of its own. I can tell you by just looking at you that it would suit you
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admirably, as you suit it, if you will permit me to say so. Coming from me, it may surprise
you to hear that you already appear to be at home. The choice of a frame is not so easy
when you have such a delightful pastel to place in it.
3m
i) Identify the speaker of these lines.
ii) Its appearance is modest….what does it stand for?
iii) I can tell you by just looking at you that it would suit you admirably, as you suit it..what does it
reveal about the speaker?
4.
For a good Cause, if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle, I will work
harder than anybody but I will do it. For learning there is no age bar.
1. Identify the speaker
2. When does the speaker say these lines?
3. What does the “good cause” refer to?
5.
Copies are not always good. We could only imitate you and imitations are no better than
parodies. We are so different. Think of it………Europeans go to America to earn money
and Americans come to Europe to spend it.
1. Identify the speaker.
2. What does “we are so different” mean?
3. Why does the speaker outwit the other?
6. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions given below:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
Took the one less travelled by
And that has made all the difference.
a) What do the two diverging roads symbolize?
b) What impact has the path trodden by the poet made on his life ?
c) Which road does the poet choose and why ?
7. In 1953, Hooper was a favoured young man. A big genuine grin civilized his highly
competitive nature.
a) Hooper was a favoured young man. What does it mean?
b) What was the profession of Hooper ?
c) What does the author mean by the word ‘civilized’ ?
8. You are an exception. Frenchmen usually have to consult about ten people before they get a
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move on .
Do you or don’t you want to sell this house ?
d) who is ‘ You’ here ?
e) How does the speaker rate Frenchmen?
f) Who is the speaker of these lines?
9. Read the following extract and answer the questions given below
“While you were upstairs, I have been thinking a lot about your Papa and Mamma”
1. Who speaks these words ?
2. How does the statement differ from the earlier statement made by him ?
3. Estimate the character of Gaston in the context given above.
10. He was a 23- kilo Missile of joy. He hit Chuck above the belt, causing him to fight to keep
his balance.
a) Who is ‘he’ referred here?
b) What do you mean by “a 23-kilo missile of joy “?
c) What did he realize instantly?
QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE (Fiction)
1.
You are the granddaughter of the story “How I taught my grandmother to Read”. Write a
letter to your friend telling her about how you taught Grandmother to read and write.
2.
“For learning there is no age bar” Comment with reference to the story “How I taught
my grandmother to Read”.
3.
“I am touching the feet of a teacher not my granddaughter” Why did the speaker touch
the feet of the granddaughter. Do you think she did the right thing? Justify the
statement with reference to the story, “How I taught my grandmother to read”.
4.
Write a page in your diary about your plans to gift grandma with the novel “Karmaveera”
on the day she would fulfill her aim to read and write.
5.
Give a character sketch of Grandmother.
6.
Grandmother was restless when the narrator was away for sometimes. Why? Comment
on the urge of learning of the sixty two year old woman in the story “How I taught my
grandmother to Read”.
7.
The narrator’s Grandmother identifies herself as the protagonist of the novel ‘Kashi
yatre’. Justify your answer with instances from the story “How I taught my grandmother
to read.”
8.
Grandmother is literate now. She wants to carry out this message to all illiterate women
of all ages. She wants an adult school to be opened in her village. She writes a letter to
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the Pradhan of the Gram Panchayat. Write the letter.
9.
Duke was an extraordinary dog. What special qualities of Duke support the above
statement?
10.
Write the character sketch of Chuck Hooper.
11.
Chuck Hooper is now able to move his limbs. He writes about his helpless feelings while
lying in bed after the accident. Write the page of his diary.
12.
You are Chuck Hooper, you go for short walk everyday with Duke and you are improving
physically. You decide to visit your workplace. Write a page of your diary about your
plans.
13.
In the story ‘A Dog named Duke,’ who is the actual hero? Justify your answer with
reference to the story.
14.
Imagine yourself as Chuck Hooper. Write a page of your diary after Duke dies in the
accident.
15.
Imagine yourself to be Chuck Hooper. Write a page of diary describing your move step
by step with the help of Duke till June 1 st.
16.
“He would be with a reproachful eye on Hooper”. How did Duke express his feelings for
his master? What do you think he had in his mind?
17.
Describe the relation between Duke and Chuck Hooper.
SOLVED
Q1. You are Chuck Hooper’s wife Marcy. You remained overwhelmed at Duke’s dedications
towards the recovery of your husband. Write a letter to your friend describing how Duke
has become your saviour.
Ans:
2nd Cross
New Towers
London
10th Nov 2012
Dear Anne,
You will be glad to learn that my husband Chuck is able to walk now and has also joined
office. It is all because of our pet dog Duke, the Doberman Chuck had brought. I was a little
reluctant at the beginning though I agreed to have him later. I had actually sent Duke to a
kennel after Chuck’s accident but brought him back to give Chuck company during his
bedridden days after he was released from hospital.
Duke appeared to be an epitome of hope and determination. There was some sort of
understanding between Duke and Chuck. Duke always stayed with Chuck and helped him
whenever needed. It was Duke who helped Chuck make efforts to put his first step. Duke
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miraculously managed to re-awaken the dead spirit of Chuck to live and Chuck started
walking step by step every day. It was clear that Duke understood his master’s grief and
determined to help him get over the state of helplessness. Whenever Chuck lost his balance,
Duke would be by him like a post. Indeed God has sent an angel to my home in disguise of
Duke.
That my dear husband is not only walking but also working today is nothing but a miracle.
Duke’s loyalty, affection and determination were instrumental in the recovery of his
master. Unfortunately when his master is fit today, Duke is no more to enjoy the delight of
seeing his master back in his original form. Duke met with a motor accident and breathed his
last a few days back. I have posted few of his photographs in my Facebook account for all of
you. God give his soul rest and peace.
With lots of love
Marcy
Q2.Marcy writes a tribute in the local newspaper for her dog Duke. Write the tribute.
Ans:(Hints)
---realization of Dukes dedication---Chuck’s attachment towards Duke---Chuck’s recovery
with Duke---Her change of attitude towards Duke.
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NOVEL [CHAPTER 1-10]
THREE MEN IN A BOAT ---JEROME K JEROME
INTRODUCTION:
The humorous travelogue ‘Three Men In a Boat’ was written by an English writer and humorist,
Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859- 14 June, 1927). The novel was published in 1889. It is a
humorous account ‘of a boating holiday’ on the river Thames between two famous places,
Kingston and Oxford. Jerome initially wanted to write a serious travel guide giving glimpses of
local history of places and towns that fall along the route. However, Jerome was basically a
humorist. And the humorous elements so much dominated the descriptions that ‘Three Men In a
Boat’ turned out to be affine comic novel. ‘The serious and somewhat sentimental passages’
seemed to be a distraction to the comic novel.
The book’s original purpose was to be a guidebook. The narrator describes all the passing
landmarks and villages such as Hampton Court Palace, Mondey Island, Magna Carta Island, Marlow
and Oxford. He also describes the historical importance of these places. The most frequent topics
are river pastime such as fishing, boating, cooking, drinking, camping and endless talking and
gossiping. The writer frequently tells some very interesting anecdotes which are full of jokes which
seem ‘fresh and witty’, even today. The book was an instant success and remains popular with the
readers even today.
Plot
It is a fictional story about three friends and their dog. The story is written in first person and
a lot of humor and anecdotes are found in it.
The author Jim, his friends Harris and George live with various illusionary diseases and
therefore decide to take a break and go down the river for a holiday. They decide to camp
on the boat on fine days and stay at an inn when it rains.
There are several incidents like packing, journey to historical places, cheese story which are
exaggerated and evoke a lot of laughter.
QUESTIONS
Q1. Character sketches (Hint)
1.
Jim: - hypochondriac –dislikes sea voyages--romantic nature—comfort seeker—
overconfident (eg: cheese story packing)—dislikes tomb visit—enjoys boat trip—vain
about appearance and clothes—believes in God.
2.
Harris:-has fits of giddiness—likes pretending—practical—restless when hungry
3.
George:-quietest of all—speaks in medical terms—most sensible—lazy and overweight—
enjoys good food.
4.
Montmorency:- a dog – looks innocent - like an angel--very mischievous- chief ambition
to meddle around-has many friends-killed a dozen chickens-does not enjoy boat tripfaithful to friends.
5.
Uncle Podger: - funny character-fussy- pretends to be independent-very dependent—
careless—absent minded—blames others—boastful—tires the whole household
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Q 2. Give an account of the PACKING incident. How do the three friends behave during the
Packing incident?
Ans : Hints
All three have different ideas—each wanted the other to pack—lack of organizational
capacities—packed and unpacked several times—broke things-- all three careless,
disorganized and forgetful.
Q3. Write a note on the use of humour in Three men in Boat .
Q4. Write a note on characterization in Three men in a Boat.
Q5.How did Harris sing a comic song and with what result ?
Q6 Describe the funny incident in which two drunken men got into the same bed in the dark without
knowing it at a country inn?
Q7.
There are a number of funny situations in the novel. Describe any two incidents which
evoke laughter.
Q8.
The Writer’s visit to the British Library made a terrible psychological impact in the mind
of the writer – Elucidate.
Q9.
The three friends decide to take a journey to the sea in the name of ‘Change’ they
required. Elaborate
Q10.
Describe the cheese episode in the novel. Does the author’s presentation of the episode
in such exaggerated manner create true humor and laughter?
Q11.
Describe the three friends briefly.
Q12.
Jim takes pride of his appearance and taste of clothes. Describe incidents to justify the
statement.
Three Men in a boat was meant to be a Travelogue. Describe an incident from the novel
to support this statement.
Give two instances that reveal Jim’s love for history and old buildings.
Q13.
Q14.
Q15.
“We are but the sorriest slaves of our stomach” says the author. What incident
justifies the given statement?
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