English · Sample Paper 2

General instructions

Section A · Reading skills

1. Question 110 marks

   Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

   1. Every monsoon, the small town of Seshapur used to flood. Drains overflowed, the market street turned into a brown river, and children waded to school with their shoes in their hands. For years, people blamed the rain. Then a group of Class 9 students decided to find out what was really happening.

   2. Armed with notebooks and their parents' phones, they walked along the town's drains for three Saturdays. What they found surprised them. Nearly every drain was choked with plastic bags, bottles and food wrappers. In some places, shopkeepers had built steps right over the drains, leaving no way to clean them.

   3. The students put together a short report with photographs and a simple map, and presented it at a meeting of the town council. At first, some adults smiled politely and moved on to the next item. But one councillor asked the students to repeat their survey in another ward. The results were the same.

   4. Within a year, the council had cleared the main drains and placed covered bins along the market street. Shopkeepers agreed to replace the concrete steps with removable iron grilles. The students themselves ran a campaign asking families to carry cloth bags.

   5. The next monsoon, it rained just as hard. But the market street stayed open, and for the first time in years, children walked to school with their shoes on their feet.

   Answer the following (1 mark each):

   (i) What did the people of Seshapur blame for the floods at first?

   (ii) How did the students collect information about the drains?

   (iii) Name any two kinds of waste that were choking the drains.

   (iv) Why was it impossible to clean some of the drains?

   (v) How did most adults react when the students first presented their report?

   (vi) What did one councillor ask the students to do?

   (vii) Name two steps the council took within a year.

   (viii) The tone of the last paragraph is: (a) sad (b) hopeful and satisfied (c) angry (d) worried

   (ix) Find a word in paragraph 1 that means 'walked with difficulty through water'.

   (x) Find a word in paragraph 2 that means 'blocked'.

2. Question 210 marks

   Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

   A district library recorded how its 1,200 student members used its services in one year.

   • 45% borrowed only story books and novels; 25% borrowed mainly reference and exam books; 20% used the free study room; 10% came only for computer and internet use.
   • Students who visited at least once a week borrowed, on average, 3 books a month. Those who visited once a month borrowed less than 1.
   • The busiest months were May and June (summer holidays) and the quietest was March, the exam month.
   • In a survey, 70% of members said the library should stay open till 8 p.m.; at present it closes at 6 p.m.
   • After a reading challenge in June, in which students who read 10 books received a certificate, 240 students completed the challenge.

   Answer the following (1 mark each):

   (i) How many student members does the library have?

   (ii) What percentage of members borrowed mainly reference and exam books?

   (iii) For what purpose did 10% of the members come to the library?

   (iv) How many books a month did weekly visitors borrow on average?

   (v) Which were the busiest months, and why?

   (vi) Which was the quietest month? (a) May (b) June (c) March (d) December

   (vii) What change in timing did most members want?

   (viii) What did students receive for completing the reading challenge?

   (ix) What percentage of all members completed the reading challenge?

   (x) About how many members used the free study room?

Section B · Grammar and writing

1. Question 31 mark

   Choose the correct option to fill in the blank:

   By the time we reached the station, the train ______.

   1. A.left
   2. B.has left
   3. C.had left
   4. D.was leaving
2. Question 41 mark

   Choose the correct modal:

   ______ I borrow your pen for a minute?

   1. A.Must
   2. B.May
   3. C.Should
   4. D.Would
3. Question 51 mark

   Choose the correct option:

   The news ______ very encouraging.

   1. A.are
   2. B.were
   3. C.is
   4. D.have been
4. Question 61 mark

   Choose the correct determiner:

   There are ______ apples in the basket; enough for everyone.

   1. A.little
   2. B.much
   3. C.a few
   4. D.plenty
5. Question 71 mark

   Choose the correct reported form:

   The teacher said to us, "Do your homework."

   1. A.The teacher told us to do our homework.
   2. B.The teacher said us to do our homework.
   3. C.The teacher told us do your homework.
   4. D.The teacher asked that do our homework.
6. Question 81 mark

   Identify the error and choose the correct option:

   He is senior than me by two years.

   1. A.is → was
   2. B.senior than → senior to
   3. C.me → I
   4. D.by → for
7. Question 91 mark

   Choose the correct passive form:

   They are building a new bridge.

   1. A.A new bridge is built by them.
   2. B.A new bridge is being built by them.
   3. C.A new bridge was being built by them.
   4. D.A new bridge has been built by them.
8. Question 101 mark

   Choose the correct preposition:

   The cat jumped ______ the wall.

   1. A.in
   2. B.over
   3. C.at
   4. D.of
9. Question 111 mark

   Choose the correct reported form:

   He said, "I will help you tomorrow."

   1. A.He said that he will help me tomorrow.
   2. B.He said that he would help me the next day.
   3. C.He said that I would help him the next day.
   4. D.He told that he would help me tomorrow.
10. Question 121 mark

    Choose the correct option:

    If it rains, we ______ the match.

    1. A.cancel
    2. B.will cancel
    3. C.would cancel
    4. D.cancelled
11. Question 135 marks

    Write a descriptive paragraph in about 120 words describing a village fair — its colours, sounds, stalls and the people you meet there.

12. OR

    Question 135 marks

    Write a descriptive paragraph in about 120 words describing your grandmother (or any elderly person you admire) — appearance, habits and the values you learn from them.

13. Question 145 marks

    Complete the story in about 120 words, giving it a suitable title:

    The power went off just as Rohan opened the old trunk in the attic. In the beam of his torch, he saw a small wooden box with his grandfather's name carved on the lid...

14. OR

    Question 145 marks

    Write a diary entry in about 120 words about your first day at a new school — what you saw, whom you met and how you felt.

Section C · Literature

1. Question 155 marks

   Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

   A slumber did my spirit seal; I had no human fears: She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years.

   (i) What does 'a slumber did my spirit seal' mean? (1 mark)

   (ii) Why did the poet have 'no human fears'? (1 mark)

   (iii) Who is 'she' in the extract? (1 mark)

   (iv) What does 'the touch of earthly years' refer to? (1 mark)

   (v) Name the poet. (1 mark)

2. OR

   Question 155 marks

   Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

   When the humid shadows hover Over all the starry spheres And the melancholy darkness Gently weeps in rainy tears,

   (i) What are the 'humid shadows'? (1 mark)

   (ii) What are the 'starry spheres'? (1 mark)

   (iii) Which figure of speech is used in 'darkness gently weeps'? (1 mark)

   (iv) Find a word in the extract that means 'sad'. (1 mark)

   (v) Name the poet. (1 mark)

3. Question 162 marks

   Why does Vikram Seth say that the flute 'touches the mind of the listener'?

4. Question 172 marks

   According to the poem 'On Killing a Tree', why is a simple jab of the knife not enough to kill a tree?

5. Question 182 marks

   What did the doctor in 'The Snake and the Mirror' decide to do as soon as the snake left him?

6. Question 192 marks

   What were the two strange rules in the Kingdom of Fools?

7. Question 203 marks

   How did Sivasubramania Iyer's attitude reflect a change in social thinking, in 'My Childhood'?

8. OR

   Question 203 marks

   What qualities helped Maria Sharapova reach the top in tennis?

9. Question 213 marks

   Why did Saint Peter punish the old lady in 'A Legend of the Northland'? What was the punishment?

10. Question 223 marks

    What is the central message of the poem 'No Men Are Foreign'?

11. Question 233 marks

    Why was Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?

12. Question 243 marks

    How did the author's classmates help him after the fire in 'A House Is Not a Home'?

13. Question 256 marks

    Describe how Gerrard outwits the intruder in 'If I Were You'. What qualities of Gerrard does this show?

14. OR

    Question 256 marks

    Why was the Happy Prince called happy while he lived, and why did he weep after his death? What does the story teach us?

15. Question 266 marks

    Imagine you are Grandfather. Write a diary entry describing the day Toto caused trouble on the train journey to Saharanpur.

16. OR

    Question 266 marks

    How did Evelyn Glennie overcome her hearing impairment to become a world-famous percussionist? What can young people learn from her?