FIRST YEAR HIGHER SECONDARY MODEL ENGLISH QUESTION PAPER 2016 SOLVED

HIGHER SECONDARY MODEL EXAMINATION-2016

PART-1 ENGLISH

(Qns 1-4) Read the passage and answer the following questions.

He uttered a joyous scream and flapped them again. He soared higher. He raised his breast and banked against the wind. ‘Ga, ga, ga . Ga, ga, ga’. ‘Gawlool- ah.’ His mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud noise.

1. Who is ‘he’ referred to here?

A) He referred to here is the young seagull.

2. Why was he joyous?

A) He was joyous because the young seagull was able to make his first flight after his long hard work. He has been trying hard for a long time. He was really hungry. When he saw his mother coming towards him with a piece of fish, he was really happy and tried to make his first flight.

3. How did the family support him?

A) The family supported him in many ways. The encouragement of the parents really made the young seagull fly. They threatened him to starve and inspired him to fly. His mother approached him with a piece of fish and the young seagull dived for the fish. The sight of the fish really prompted him to fly. When he made his first flight, his family praised him and flew around him by making sounds.

4. What does the word ‘swoop’ mean? A) fly b) dive c) go in front d) none of these

A) dive

5. “There were little white wires hanging down from their ears, or tucked into pockets, purses or jackets. The eyes were a little vacant. Each was in his or her musical world, walking to their soundtrack, stars in their own music video, almost oblivious to the world around him. These are the i-Pod people.” This passage describes the behaviour of te i-Pod people. How has the modern social media influenced the social life of the present generation? Write a paragraph.

                                    SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE PRESENT GENERATION

No man is an island. Human beings always want to live in a community as a social being. Our present generation is very much addicted to the social media. They can’t think of a world without social media. Even children are addicted to this social media.  Let us see how the modern social media has influenced the social life of the present generation. Firstly it helps us to communicate easily. We can get information about the world within seconds. Modern social Medias like facebook, wahtsup etc. help us to interact with people who live far away. People are becoming atomized. We  can download any information very easily. It adds entertainment to our life. We can enjoy music and play games.  But it has its drawbacks too. When we spend so much time in social Medias, it will make us lazy. We will be isolated from the society. We will lead a mechanical life without any social values. Besides we should have a control in using social Medias. Otherwise, we will be easily trapped. We can see certain news in Medias where chatting leads to cheating.

6. “ I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice, an India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people, an India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony……..” (And Then Gandhi Came)

Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper comparing the dreams of Gandhi with the present situation of the country.

A)  From

            Renuka Menon

            Rose street Villa

            Coimbatore

            Date

To

            The Editor

            The Hindu

            Kozhikode

Respected Sir,

Sub: The dreams of Gandhi versus the dreams of the present generation

I am Renuka Menon, a student of ABC H S S. I am writing this letter to draw your kind attention to a situation developing in our country. I hope you would resolve the situation our country faces now.

As we all know that our country has won freedom after a long fight with the British people. We can never forget the role played by Gandhi, Nehru in our freedom struggle. Gandhi had many dreams about India and its people. Really Gandhi worked for an India without any class distinction. He dreamed of an India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony. He also thought of an India in which women would enjoy the same right as men.

But now this situation is no more. People face terrible poverty, unemployment etc. About 95% of people are starving. Many other people are devoid of basic comforts. The government is trying to make India a digital revolution. But what is the use of bringing all these without the basic comforts. The situation is becoming more and more horrible now a days. People become violent for simple things. There is class distinction, gender distinction and all other discrimination. So it is crucial to fight against this injustice. People become more and more sensitive. They live in fearful situations. They are afraid to do anything in the society for the betterment of the country. Women become very much afraid to go alone even in day time. Political parties become violent and demand hartal to disturb the public. It is high time to work for equality. The Government is not taking active measures against this situation.

 So I humbly request you to highlight this social injustice in your newspaper. Hope there would be a change in the mindset of the people.

Thanking you in advance for your co-operation

Yours Faithfully

NAME & SIGNATURE.

7. Imagine you visited a beautiful beach with your parents. Write a brief description of that place.

I am very happy to give a description about my visit with my parents to Kappad beach in Kozhikode. It was in the last Christmas vacation, I enjoyed the natural beauty of the beach. It was really refreshing one. It was really a wonder to explore the calmness and beauty of the sea-side. I with my parents and little brother visited the beach. I found much pleasure in playing with my brother in the sea shore. My brother was very much interested in drawing different things on sand. The cold wind breeze really tempted us to remain longer. We could enjoy the seafood from the shopping areas. It was a different experience to watch various fishes in the fish-show arranged by the Tourism Department. Finally we got much enjoyment in the sunset view. It was really a feast for our eyes. We enjoyed flying kites and making paper planes. We made our return at 7 in the night and reached home late at 11 pm.

8. Use the correct tense form of the verbs given in brackets to complete the passage.

In 1985 the wreck of the Titanic (a) …………………..(locate) on the sea bed. Several successful films (b) …………….. (make) about the Titanic since then and the most recent (c) ………… (release) in 1997.

P.S : When there is time we have to use past tense (Here the passive form of the past tense is used), when there is ‘Since’ and ‘for’ we have to use present perfect tense. Here also passive structure should be used since ‘subjects’ are objective type.  Eg. Raju published a book. But when we say the same thing in passive: A book was published by Raju when ‘subject’ becomes objective giving importance to the object. )

A) a) was located b) have been made c) was released

9.  When Nicholai was working at the Exchequer Court ‘he never had enough to eat and drink, and was dressed exactly like a beggar. But when Ivan met him at his estate, he ‘looked stout, flabby and his cheeks, nose and lips were pendulous.’

What do you think are the reasons behind this change? Prepare a short write-up on the changes that took place in Nicholai after he bought the estate?

A) Anton Chekhov’s “Gooseberries” presents a story about two brothers named Ivan Ivanich and Nicholai Ivanich. They are presented in this story as contrasting characters. They choose different ways to attain happiness in their life. Ivan was a veterinary surgeon and led his life in a country side. Nicholai was a government official who was not satisfied with the kind of life as an exchequer. Actually he wished to lead a peaceful life by the country side. He dreamed of a country life to live happily. He thought of having an estate of his own with a pond and lot of gooseberry bushes. He began to lead a miserly life to achieve his goal. He deposited all his money in a bank and he didn’t eat much. But when Ivan met him at his estate after some years, he looked stout, fabby and his cheeks, nose and lips were pendulous. According to me the reason for this sudden change was the fulfillment of his life-long dream. Though there was no gooseberry tree in his new estate, he planted twenty of the gooseberries. When Ivan Ivanich visited him, he had the first fruit of his gooseberry tree.  When he tasted the first bowl of gooseberries from his garden, he felt very delicious. He didn’t feel the sour of it. His mind was totally changed. He could enjoy peace and happiness when he began to work hard in the soil. He began to spend money lavishly. He treated the wounded peasants with castor oil and other herbal medicines. He offered half a bucket of vodka to the poor peasants on his birthday.  Thus Nicholai was totally changed after becoming an estate owner. The saying, ‘A sound mind resides in a sound body’ is really applicable in the case of Nicholai Ivanich.

10. Another interesting sideline to this performance is that if any member of the nearby village of Nabukelevu is present, then the turtles will not rise to the surface of the bay.” Why?

A) The turtles will not rise to the surface of the bay if any member of the nearby village of Nabukelevu is present because it was the fishermen of the Nabukelevu who seized the Namuana’s Princess Tinaicoboga and her daughter Raudalice.They pleaded for their lives. But they caught them and put into their boats. The Sea God changed them into turtles when they prayed.

11. Write a precis of the following passage, reducing it to one- third of its length.

Mitigation and preparedness measures go hand in hand for vulnerability reduction and rapid professional response to disasters. The Bhuj earthquake in January,2001 brought out several inadequacies in the system. The search and rescue teams had not been trained professionally; specialized dog squad to look for live bodies under the debris were not available; and there was no centralized resource inventory for emergency response. Although army played a pivotal role in search and rescue and also set up their hospital after the collapse of Government hospital at Bhuj, the need for fully equipped mobile hospitals with trained personnel was felt acutely. Despite these constraints, the response was fairly well-organised. However, had these constraints been taken care of beforehand, the response would have been even more professional and rapid which may have reduced the loss of lives. Specialist search and rescue teams from other countries did reach Bhuj. However, precious time was lost and even with these specialist teams, it was not possible to cover all severly affected areas as quickly as the Government would have desired. It was therefore, decided that we should remove these inadequacies and be in a stage of preparedness at all times.

A)                                            DISASTER MANAGEMENT

  Mitigation and preparedness measures help in reducing vulnerability along with rapid response to disasters. The Bhuj earthquakes in January 2001 brought out several inadequacies in the system. The rescue teams had not been trained. Besides, there was the lack of centralized resource. Though the army worked hard, the fully equipped mobile hospital was not ensured. We could have many lives if better disaster management system was implemented. So we should be determined to remove these inadequacies to face any disaster.

12. The following information is about the famous Indian film maker Satyajith Ray. Prepare a profile of him.

Birth   : May 2, 1921 ……..Education : Shantiniketan, University in Calcutta…….First Film : Pather Panchali (1955) Other Films: Jalasagar, Kanchenjunga, Charulatha, Aparajito……..Awards won: 32 National Film Awards, Oscar for Lifetime Achievement by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1992), Bharat Ratna (1992)  Death: April 23, 1992.

A)                                                        SATYAJITH RAY

            The famous Indian Film maker Satyajith Ray was born on 2^nd May 1921. For his higher studies, he went to Shantiniketan in Calcutta. He was a famous Film maker. His first film was released in the year 1955 named “Pather Panchali”. His other famous films are Jalasagar, Kachenjunga, Charulatha, Aparajito etc. He got much popularity with the life-like quality of his films. He has won number of awards for his wonderful films. He got thirty two National Film Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences awarded him Oscar for Lifetime Achievement  in the year 1992.. He was honoured with Bharat Ratna in the year 1992. He breathed his last on 23^rd April 1992.

13. Put the adverbs of frequency given in brackets on the right place.

a) Peter doesn’t get up before seven (usually). (b) But he reaches the school on time (always)

A)  Peter doesn’t usually get up before seven. But he always reaches the school on time.

(Questions 14-16) Read the following lines from the poem “To Sleep”, and answer the questions.

I have thought of all by turns, and still I lie

Sleepless; and soon the small birds’ melodies

Must hear, first uttered from my orchard’s trees,

And the first cuckoo’s melancholy cry.

14. What were the things that the poet had thought of by turns?

A) The poet had thought of flock of sheep, sound of rain, wins and seas, fall of river, white sheets of water, smooth fields and clear sky.

15. How many nights did the poet lie sleepless?

A) The poet lay two nights sleepless.

16. The condition of being unable to sleep is called……….

a) somnambulism b) insolation c) Insomnia d) Solicitude

A) Insomnia

17. Fill in the following passage choosing the right word given in the box.

Clearly,firstly,however,furthermore

Students mistakenly think multiple choice questions are easy. (a) However such questions can be challenging for a number of reasons. (b) Firstly, the questions can be wide ranging and not in any particular order. They often have ‘distractors’ and negative statements which can be confusing. (c) Furthermore, thequestions are often designed to test a wide range of subject matter and concepts, rather than testing simple recognition of basic ideas. (d) Clearly you really need to understand the subject matter to do well in multiple choice questions.

18. Write a character sketch of Mrs. Clifford.

A) Mrs. Clifford is an important character in the story “Price of Flowers” written by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay.  She is a widow having two children Maggie and Frank. Her son Frank is a soldier working in Punjab and she is very much preoccupied with him. She represents an ordinary woman who sacrifices her life for the family. When Gupta, an Indian guest went to her home, she was making cake. Her hands were covered with flour. She is very much conscious of her living condition. It is very clear when she tells Gupta about sending Maggie for violin class. As a whole she is the embodiment of love. She is also very superstitious. When she wants Gupta to gaze into a crystal ring we can understand it well. She believes that Indians are yogis and they have magical powers. She wanted to see her son in good condition. She was very much worried about her son. It shows that she was a caring and loving mother. She was very humble woman, respectful. She was conscious of educating Maggie for her good future.

19. Elaborate the idea in the following lines.

            Sceptre and Crown Must tumble down

            And in the dust be equal made With the poor crooked scythe and spade.

A) These are the lines of the poem “Death the Leveller” written by James Shirley. The poet speaks about the Eternal Truth that Death is a leveller. He describes the philosophy of life that everybody is equal before death. Here scepter and crown stands for all powerful nature of King. The poet says that these glories and titles must be tumbled down. All these power will come to an end with our death. Scythe and spade stands for the poor. He says that we should not boast of our power. Before death all will be equal. Death acts as an equalizer and levels everything. Only our good deeds will blossom forever.

20. On the death Anniversary of Dr. A.P J Abdul Kalam, you are asked to deliver a speech in the school assembly. Prepare the script of the speech that you would deliver, taking ideas from the lesson, “I will Fly”.

A) Respected dignitaries on the dias, beloved teachers and all my dear friends,

A warm good morning to one and all of you. Today is 27^th July. As you all know today is the death anniversary of the great personality Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam. It is really sad to think of his departure as we all are Indians. Today I think it will be better if I speak something about his great contributions.

Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam was really a special and different character. In spite of his titles and honours, he was really an ordinary man. He always inspired us with his powerful words. He wanted to be known as a scientist rather than a former President. He invented  great things. He was inspired to invent many things from the ordinary things of the world. The mere sight of the flying birds inspired him to invent missiles. He always wanted us to have dreams and to be unique in our thoughts. He was a man of great determination. We should make him as a role model . On this great day I request you to take a pledge to be unique in our character. We should have courage to move forward with determination. Above all, we have to dream high. I conclude my words saying that we should move forward to become unique in our own ways. Thank you

21. Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the words given in brackets.

I would rather you (a) ………..(study) in India, but your mother would prefer(b) ………(send) you abroad.

A) I would rather you studied in India, but your mother would prefer to send you abroad.

22.      “Then Captain Smith, her commander brave,

Though not one moment, hos own life to save.”

If you were Captain Smith, what would have you done? Answer in a paragraph.

A) If I were the Captain Smith I would save the life of others. I would give the people courage to face anything. When anybody is crying, I will advise them to be happy. I will provide all my support. I will not try to save my own life at any cost. I will make arrangements to have life boats and life jackets. I will give more priority to ladies and children.

23. Read the poem given below and write a note of appreciation.

Fresh breeze and snow capped peaks,

Sky inked with pale blue.

The water in the lake is crystal clear,

The green grass, cows silently chew.

The little girl at the lowest hill

Is seen plucking flowers.

Red, blue, yellow and purple

All seem to have some kind of power.

The clouds are moving at snail’s pace

And all seems so quiet and peaceful.

Everything is so mesmerizing

That away from it you cannot be pulled.

A) The poem “At the Mountainside” describes the beauty of nature. Like the Romantic poets, the poet here too reveals the soothing aspect of nature. This poem is written as the experience of the poet living close to nature.

The poem is full of different description about the beauty of nature. Fresh breeze, snow capped peaks, blue sky, clear water of lake, green grass, cows, the girl at the valley picking flowers etc appeal the readers to find the beauty of nature.

The poem is really rich with fine visual imagery and kinesthetic imagery. The poem makes one feel love towards nature.  The poem is full of beautiful poetic devices like metaphor. The clouds are described as snails moving slowly. It has also a good rhyme scheme. The poet conveys the idea in a simple language. Alliteration is seen in the lines ‘crystal clear’.

The poem as a whole highlights the importance of seeking relief from the nature. This poem has much contemporary relevance. Today people are very busy to lead a selfish life. They don’t give any importance to nature.