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SAMPLE QUESTIONS
ENGLISH
STANDARD IX
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
1
CONTENTS
1. Analysing Textual Passages
03
2. Analysing Textual Poems
13
3. Analysing Unfamiliar Passages
20
4. Constructing Discourses
24
5. Intrepreting Data
30
6. Using Language Elements
34
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
2
1. Analysing Textual Passages
Unit 3
TALES OF TOIL
Question I
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses language elements contextually
Read the following passage from the story, ‘The Man who Knew too Much’
and answer the questions that follow:
In pursuit of his ambition Private Quelch worked hard. We had to give him
credit for that. He borrowed training manuals and stayed up late at nights
reading them. He badgered the instructors with questions. He drilled with
enthusiasm. On route marches he was not only miraculously tireless but
infuriated us all with his horrible heartiness. ‘What about a song, chaps?’ is
not greeted politely at the end of thirty miles. His salute at the pay table was a
model to behold. When officers were in sight he would swing his skinny arms
and march to the canteen like a Guardsman.
1. What made Private Quelch work hard?
2. What did Private Quelch do to fulfill his ambition?
3. What does the term ‘miraculously tireless’ imply?
4. Why did the trainees feel angry with Private Quelch?
5. Pick out a word from the passage that means ‘to look at’.
6. Read the sentences given below:
He borrowed training manuals.
To get the negative meaning of the sentence, we write it as:
He didn’t borrow training manuals.
Now, change the following sentences into its negative form:
a. He drilled with enthusiasm.
b. He badgered the instructors with questions.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 – Score 1 each
Question 6 – Score 2
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 10 minutes
3
Question II
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses language elements contextually
Read the following passage from the story, ‘The Resignation’ and answer
the questions that follow:
Even ruins have their better days of glory. On the night of Diwali, they are
lighted up. During monsoons, they have green moss on them. They reflect the
changing moods of Nature. The poor clerk never changes. His pale face never
lights up with a smile. The rains do not bring relief to his dry as dust existence.
Lala Fatehchand was one such clerk. It is said that a man’s name affects his
fortunes. This was proved wrong in the case of Lala Fatehchand. His name
meant winner. But it would not be an exaggeration to call him Haarchand
(Loser). A failure in office, a failure among friends, he had faced only setbacks
and disappointments.
1. Who, according to the author, remains unchanged despite changes?
2. ‘Lala Fatehchand was one such clerk.’ What type of a clerk was he?
3. Why does the author call Lala Fatehchand ‘Haarchand’?
4. What does the expression ‘even ruins have their better days of glory’ mean?
5. In the sentence ‘They reflect the changing moods of Nature’, the plural subject
‘they’ is followed by a plural verb ‘reflect’. Pick out one such sentence from
the passage.
6. Find out a word from the passage that means ‘made to seem larger, better’.
Score: Questions 1 to 6 - 1 score each
Time: 12 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses language elements contextually
Read the following passage from the story, ‘The Resignation’ and answer
the questions that follow:
The messenger said, ‘Saheb has asked him to come over immediately. There is
some urgent work.’
Fatehchand broke his silence. He raised his head and asked, ‘What is it? ‘
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
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‘Nothing,’ replied Sharda. ‘Only the office peon.’
Fatehchand, ‘The office peon! Has Saheb called for me?’
‘That’s what he says. What kind of Saheb do you have? He’s always sending
for you. You have just come home. Why does he want to see you again? Tell
him you won’t go. Can he do anything worse than take your job away?’
Fatehchand said, ‘Let me find out why he wants to see me. I had cleared my
desk before I left. I’ll be back soon.’
Sharda, ‘Please have something to eat before you go. Once you start talking
with the peon, you will forget everything.’
She brought some snacks. Fatehchand looked at the plate and asked, ‘Have
you given the girls something to eat?’
‘Yes, yes,’ replied Sharda impatiently. ‘You eat!’
Just then his youngest daughter came up. Sharda looked at her and said angrily,
‘Why are you standing on my head? Go outside and play!’
‘Why did you scold her?’ asked Fatehchand, ‘Come here, Chinnu. Take some
snacks.’
Chinnu looked at her mother in fear and ran out.
1. What news did the messenger bring in?
2. What do you understand about Sharda’s attitude towards Saheb from her
words?
3. How did Fatehchand respond to the message?
4. Why is Sharda angry with her daughter?
5. ‘Why did you scold her?’ This is a ‘wh’ question used in this passage. Pick
out any two ‘Yes/No’ questions from the passage.
6. Read the following dialogue and answer the questions that follow:
Sharda: Why are you standing on my head?
Fatehchand: Chinnu, take some snacks.
a. What did Sharda ask her daughter?
b. What did Fatehchand want Chinnu to do?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Question 6 - 2 scores
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 12 minutes
5
Unit 4
GLIMPSES OF A GREEN PLANET
Question IV
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses vocabulary in apt situations
Read the following passage from the article, ‘Make the Right Choice’ and
answer the questions that follow:
Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking
with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces
a profound emergency. Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate
change will ravage our planet and with it our prosperity and security. The
dangers are apparent for our generation. Now the facts have started to speak:
the Arctic ice-cap is melting and last year’s inflamed oil and food prices provide
a foretaste of future havoc. In scientific journals the question is no longer
whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the
damage. So far, the world’s response has been feeble and half-hearted.
1. What does the expression ‘unprecedented step’ imply?
2. What did the newspapers try to speak with one voice through the editorial?
3. What do scientific journals focus on?
4. Identify the expression that suggests that the world is not responding well
to the danger humans’ face.
5. Look at the sentence given below:
Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our
planet.
Complete the following sentences suitably:
a. Unless we work hard, _________________________
b. ____________________, you will get drenched in rain.
6. Write any two slogans that can convey the message - SAVE EARTH.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Question 5 to 6 - 2 scores each
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 15 minutes
6
Question V
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses appropriate vocabulary
Read the following passage from the article, ‘Make the Right Choice’ and
answer the questions that follow:
We call on the representatives of the 192 countries gathered in Copenhagen
not to hesitate, not to fall into dispute, not to blame each other but to seize
opportunity from the greatest modern failure of politics. This should not be a
fight between the rich world and the poor world, or between east and west.
Climate change affects everyone and must be solved by everyone. The science
is complex but the facts are clear. The world needs to take steps to limit
temperature rise. Even a small increase would parch continents, turning
farmland into desert. Half of all species could become extinct, untold millions
of people would be displaced, whole nations drowned by the sea.
1. What does the editorial want the leaders to do?
2. Why should we take steps to limit temperature rise?
3. Pick out a word from the passage that means ‘no longer in existence’.
4. Read the following piece of news.
A small increase in temperature has parched several continents and turned
farmlands into deserts. Millions of people starve. Several animals have
become extinct and many nations have disappeared from the global map.
Now, write a suitable headline for this article.
5. ‘Climate change affects everyone’.
Rewrite the sentence beginning with ‘Everyone ..........’
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 11 minutes
Question VI
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses language elements suitably
Read the following passage from the article, ‘Make the Right Choice’ and
answer the questions that follow:
We will have to change our lifestyles. The era of flights that cost less than the
taxi ride to the airport is drawing to a close. We will have to shop, eat and
travel more intelligently. We will have to pay more for our energy and use less
of it. But the shift to a low-carbon society holds out the prospect of more
opportunity than sacrifice. We have now started to invest in renewable forms
of energy rather than producing electricity from fossil fuels. Kicking our carbon
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
7
habit within a few short decades will require a feat of engineering and
innovation to match anything in our history. But whereas putting a man on
the moon or splitting the atom were born of conflict and competition, the coming
carbon race must be driven by a collaborative effort to achieve collective
salvation.
1. How should we change our lifestyles to meet climate changes?
2. What prospect does the shift to a low-carbon society provide?
3. What does the expression, ‘a collaborative effort to achieve collective
salvation’ signify?
4. Prices have risen steadily during the past ten years.
Replace the underlined part of the sentence with a suitable word identifying
from the passage.
5. Look at the sentence given below:
We will have to change our lifestyles.
This sentence can also be written as:
We need to change our lifestyles.
Now, rewrite the following sentences as done above.
a. We will have to shop, eat and travel more intelligently.
b. We will have to pay more for our energy and use less of it.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Question 5 - 2 scores
Question VII
Competencies:
Time: 10 minutes
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses appropriate vocabulary
Read the following passage from the article, ‘Memories of a Dying River’
and answer the questions that follow:
Nila has been a perennial source of inspiration for many of our poets like
Vallathol and P. Kunhiraman Nair, besides Edasseri. It is a sacred river for the
people who live on its banks, the Ganga of the South. It is the cultural lifeline
of Malabar. The village of Cheruthuruthi where Vallathol established the
illustrious Kerala Kala Mandalam lies on its banks. From Kalpathi to Ponnani
dozens of men and women have woken up to the call of the muses: singers,
writers, Kathakali artistes.
I have seen the wrath of the Perar too– in 1942 and ’44. We were safe in our
Tharavad which was on an elevated piece of ground. But I have also heard of
the floods of ’24 from the elders in my family. The water rose right up to the
slope of the hill then!
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
8
1. How is Nila associated with the writings of the poets?
2. Why is Nila known as the Ganga of the South?
3. What does the expression ‘the cultural lifeline of Malabar’ signify?
4. How does the author describe the destructive nature of Nila?
5. Identify the word from the passage that means ‘anger’.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question VIII
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses appropriate vocabulary
Read the following passage from the article, ‘Memories of a Dying River’
and answer the questions that follow:
In the months of April and May one sees long queues of women in the villages
waiting with pots for the water trucks to arrive. The water level under the
riverbed is too low for the wells on the bank to have any water in them.
Bharathapuzha was a witness to battles and historical spectacles like
Mamankam. The battles fought on the riverbed today are for exclusive territorial
rights and permits for mining sand. Long rows of large trucks block every
access to the river. You can never get its panoramic view. What greets your
eyes, instead, is the pathetic sight of innumerable pits from which sand has
been scooped out.
Nila, who inspired me like a mother, watched me tenderly as I grew up and
gracefully forgave me for my contradictory impulses, is breathing her last....
1. ‘Bharathapuzha was a witness to battles.’ What kinds of battles are fought
on the riverbed nowadays?
2. ‘Pathetic sight’. What is the pathetic sight the author is talking about?
3. What destiny does the author foresee for Nila?
4. In what all ways did Nila inspire the author when he was young?
5. Imagine that the Eco-club of your school is organising a campaign on SAVE
NILA. Write two slogans for the campaign.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 10 minutes
9
Unit 5
GUNS AND ROSES
Question IX
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses appropriate vocabulary
Read the following passage from the story ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge’ and answer the questions that follow:
His neck was in pain. His tongue was swollen with thirst. He could no longer
feel the roadway beneath his feet. He stands at the gate of his own home. All is
as he left it, all bright and beautiful in the morning sunshine. He must have
travelled the entire night. As he pushes open the gate, he sees a flutter of female
garments. His wife, looking fresh and cool and sweet, steps down from the
veranda to meet him. At the bottom of the steps she stands waiting with a
smile of matchless joy. Ah, how beautiful she is! He springs forward with
extended arms. As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the
back of the neck – then all is darkness and silence!
1. Who is the ‘he’ referred to in the passage?
2. How is his wife described here?
3. What does the expression ‘darkness and silence’ suggest?
4. The flag _______ in the breeze. Pick out a word that can be meaningfully
used in the sentence and fill in the blank.
5. What does he do when he sees his wife?
6. His neck was in pain. His tongue was swollen with thirst. Combine these
sentences using ‘while’.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question X
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses appropriate vocabulary
Read the following passage from the story ‘The Colonel’s Ideas’ and answer
the questions that follow:
‘All at once a shrill cry, a woman’s cry, pierced through the heavy silence of
the snow and in a few minutes they brought back two prisoners, an old man
and a girl, whom I questioned in a low voice. They were escaping from the
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
10
Prussians, who had occupied their house during the evening. The father was
alarmed on his daughter’s account, and, they had made their escape in the
darkness. I invited them to accompany us. We started off together and as the
old man knew the road, he acted as our guide.
1. What pierced through the heavy silence of the snow?
2. How did the old man help the soldiers?
3. ‘… who had occupied their house during the evening’. Identify ‘who’ and
‘their’ in the given sentence.
4. ‘… they had made their escape in the darkness’. What made them do so?
5. Read the sentence given below:
He walked all the way home because he had missed the last bus.
Two past actions are referred to in the above sentence. Identify similar sentence
construction from the passage given.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Unit 6
MIRRORING THE TIMES
Question XI
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses appropriate vocabulary
Read the following passage from the article ‘The Mass Media’ and answer
the questions that follow:
By mass communications media we mean firstly the press, newspapers,
magazines, cheap books and secondly radio and television. The cinema and
the internet are also part of the mass media. The media have four basic functions:
firstly, they supply us with news keeping us informed about what is happening
in our world; secondly, they interpret the news for us by way of commentary
and editorial; thirdly, they spread culture and education, either formally or by
spreading social norms; fourthly, they provide entertainment.
1. Read the following words.
Newspaper, Cinema, Magazine, Books, Radio, Television, Journals
Now, divide the items given in the box into two categories:
Print media
Visual media
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
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2. How do media interpret the news for us?
3. What, according to the author, is the fourth function of the media?
4. What role do media play in increasing our knowledge about the world?
5. Fill in the blanks choosing the right word from the brackets.
a. The reports in the media ______ (have/has) been greatly exaggerated.
b. I’m glad that the news _______ (is/ are) good.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Question 5 - 2 score
Time: 10 minutes
Question XII
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses appropriate vocabulary
Read the following passage from the article ‘The Initial Days of Doordarshan’
and answer the questions that follow:
Today, I watch in wonder the miracles possible with technology, the astonishing
choice of hundreds of channels at the flick of a finger. But the memory of
returning from work and not being able to enter my own home, as it was
packed with relatives, neighbours and maids, sitting cross-legged on my carpet,
waiting for a familiar signature tune to begin; that one channel we all eagerly
tuned into, on the dot every evening, is indeed a nostalgic one.
1. What is the miracle referred to that is possible at the flick of a finger?
2. Why couldn’t the author enter his own home?
3. ‘… that one channel we all eagerly turned into ….’ Which television channel
is the author referring to?
4. A phrase in the extract means ‘at the right time’. Identify the phrase.
5. Fill in the blanks using the right words from the brackets.
a. The book is packed ___________ useful information. (in/ with)
b. I have all the facts ___________ my fingertips. (in/ on)
c. If I’m a bit late, will you wait __________ me. (by/for)
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Question 5 - 3 score
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 12 minutes
12
2. Analysing Textual Poems
Unit 3
TALES OF TOIL
Question I
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Identifies the poetic craft
Read the following lines from the poem ‘I am the People, the Mob’ and
answer the questions that follow:
I AM the people—the mob—the crowd—the mass.
Do you know that all the great work of the world is done through me?
I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the world’s food and
clothes.
I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons
come from me and the Lincolns. They die.
And then I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.
I am the seed ground. I am a prairie that will stand for much plowing.
Terrible storms pass over me.
I forget.
1. Who is the ‘I’ referred to in the lines?
2. What roles does he play?
3. What does ‘more Napoleons and Lincolns’ mean?
4. What is the only weakness ‘he’ suffers from?
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Identifies the poetic craft
Given below are some lines from the poem, ‘I am the People, the Mob’.
Read it and answer the questions that follow:
Sometimes I growl, shake myself and spatter a few red drops for history
to remember. Then—I forget.
When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the People, use the
lessons of yesterday and no longer forget who robbed me last year,
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
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who played me for a fool—then there will be no speaker in all the
world
say the name: ‘The People,’ with any fleck of a sneer in his voice or any
far-off smile of derision.
The mob—the crowd—the mass—will arrive then.
1. What does ‘a few red drops’ signify?
2. Pick out the line that means ‘people will stand united for a noble cause’.
3. What happens when the People learn to remember and use the lessons of
yesterday?
4. Cite an instance of visual image from these lines.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Read the following lines from the poem ‘Follower’ and answer the questions
that follow:
My father worked with a horse-plough,
His shoulders globed like a full sail strung
Between the shafts and the furrow.
The horses strained at his clicking tongue.
An expert. He would set the wing,
And fit the bright steel-pointed sock.
The sod rolled over without breaking.
At the head rig, with a single pluck
Of reins, the sweating team turned round
And back into the land. His eye
Narrowed and angled at the ground,
Mapping the furrow exactly.
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
14
1. Write the rhyme scheme of the stanzas.
2. Who are the ‘father’ and the ‘son’ referred to here?
3. Why did father narrow his eyes and angle at the ground?
4. Which line suggests the idea that the father was like a sailor who cut through
water?
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Unit 4
GLIMPSES OF A GREEN PLANET
Question IV
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Identifies the poetic craft
Read the following lines from the poem ‘To Nature’ and answer the questions
that follow:
It may indeed be phantasy, when I
Essay to draw from all created things
Deep, heartfelt, inward joy that closely clings;
And trace in leaves and flowers that round me lie
Lessons of love and earnest piety.
So let it be; and if the wide world rings
In mock of this belief, it brings
Nor fear, nor grief, nor vain perplexity.
1. Write the rhyme scheme of the stanzas?
2. What does he trace in leaves and flowers?
3. ‘... so let it be…’ What does ‘it’ stand for?
4. ‘I’ and ‘lie’ are examples of rhyming words from the given stanza. Pick
out any two such pairs from the stanza.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 8 minutes
15
Question V
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Identifies the poetic craft
Read the following lines from the poem ‘To Nature’ and answer the questions
that follow:
So will I build my altar in the fields,
And the blue sky my fretted dome shall be,
And the sweet fragrance that the wild flower yields
Shall be the incense I will yield to Thee,
Thee only God! and thou shalt not despise
Even me, the priest of this poor sacrifice.
1. ‘And the sweet fragrance that the wild flower yields’ – The words in bold
letters are examples of alliteration. Cite another example of alliteration from
the stanza.
2. Where does he wish to build the altar?
3. Why does the poet call himself a priest?
4. What offering does the poet make for God?
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question VI
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Identifies the poetic craft
Read the following lines from the poem ‘On the Grasshopper and the Cricket’
and answer the questions that follow:
The poetry of earth is never dead:
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the grasshopper’s – he takes the lead
In summer luxury, - he has never done
With his delights; for when tired out with fun
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
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1. How does the poet describe the summer season in these lines?
2. Pick out any two pairs of rhyming words.
3. Which line suggests that the poetry of the earth encompasses all the sounds,
sights and the warmth of living beings?
4. ‘A voice will run from hedge to hedge.’ Whose voice is referred to here?
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Unit 5
GUNS AND ROSES
Question VII
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Identifies the poetic craft
Read the following lines from ‘General, Your Tank is a Powerful Vehicle’
and answer the questions that follow:
General, your bomber is powerful.
It flies faster than a storm and carries more than an elephant.
But it has one defect:
It needs a mechanic.
General, man is very useful.
He can fly and he can kill.
But he has one defect:
He can think.
1. What, according to the poet, are the qualities of a bomber?
2. ‘… he can kill’. Do you think it a better quality of man?
3. What is the one defect of the bomber?
4. Who is the poem addressed to?
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 8 minutes
17
Question VIII
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Identifies the poetic craft
Read the following lines from the poem ‘Mass’ and answer the questions
that follow:
Twenty, a hundred, a thousand, five hundred thousand
appeared,
crying out: ‘So much love, and no power against death!’
but the corpse, alas!, kept on dying.
Then all the inhabitants of the earth
surrounded him; the corpse looked at them sadly, deeply
moved;
he got up slowly
embraced the first man; started to walk…
1. What does ‘kept on dying’ suggest?
2. Do people have the power to bring someone dead back to life?
3. Why did the man embrace the first man?
4. What was the common request of the mass?
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Unit 6
MIRRORING THE TIMES
Question IX
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Identifies the poetic craft
Read the following lines from the poem ‘Television’ and answer the
questions that follow:
How used they to keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
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We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They’d READ and READ,
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed
1. What does the word ‘monster’ refer to?
2. What were the hobbies of the children in the past?
3. Pick out the word that means, ‘in enough numbers’.
4. What does the expression ‘THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ!’ mean?
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 8 minutes
19
3. Analysing Unfamiliar Passages
Question I
Competencies:
Reads and analyses unfamiliar texts
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Animals, birds, trees and plants were all part of our life. We had cows,
dogs and cats; all called by names. They were part of the family. I
remember an incident concerning one of our dogs. We called him La
Fayette. He was old and infirm and everyone thought he was about to
die. He had almost lost all his hair and was always dozing in some corner
of the house. One day he chanced up on the lehyam (ayurvedic medicine)
kept out in the courtyard for sunning. Before anyone noticed it, he had
lapped up the whole of it. My mother had got it prepared for my sister
who was resting after delivery. In a couple of weeks, to everyone’s surprise,
the dog started growing shiny hair, and to regain his lost youth. A perfect
testimony to the efficiency of the lehyam!
1. ‘They were part of the family.’ What does the speaker refer to here?
2. What according to you is the attitude of the writer towards animals?
3. Why did everyone think that the dog was about to die?
4. What happened to the lehyam the mother had prepared?
5. What, according to the writer, is the perfect testimony to the efficiency of the
lehyam?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Reads and analyses unfamiliar texts
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
The Bus Driver
Dana Miller is a bus driver. She drives a bus in the city of Philadelphia.
She works the night shift. That means she starts work at 10:00 at night and
gets off at 6:00 in the morning. Dana has been driving a bus for 15 years. She
started when she was 23-years-old. She loves her job most of the time. She
gets to see the beautiful city from her seat. She gets to meet all kinds of
people. There is the guitar player. He drags his heavy guitar on the bus
every Friday night. People call him Get Low. That is because he likes to play
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
20
the guitar on his knees. If the bus is not too crowded, Get Low plays in the
back of the bus. The bus is seldom crowded at night. There is the woman
who works at the biscuit factory. Each day the ‘Biscuit Lady’ brings Dana a
bag of fresh, soft biscuits. They fill the bus with a wonderful smell! Sometimes
Dana’s job is hard. It is hard when Dana sees people down on their luck.
One time, a young woman left her sleeping baby on the bus. There was a
note on the baby’s blanket asking for help. Dana had to call the police.
Another time, a teenage boy stole money from Dana on the bus. He had a
fake gun. Dana thought it was real. She was very scared. Occasionally,
driving the bus can be scary. But most of the time, driving the bus is great.
Dana does not want to work anywhere else. ‘How was your night?’ Dana’s
husband likes to ask when she gets home. ‘Good music, good food and a
great view of the city,’ she says.
1. What is one of the reasons for Dana to love her job?
2. Why is the Guitar player called Get Low?
3. What makes Dana’s job hard sometimes?
4. ‘Occasionally, driving the bus can be scary.’ What makes Dana think so?
5. ‘Dana does not want to work anywhere else.’ Why?
6. Pick out an instance that shows the passengers love for Dana.
Score: Questions 1 to 6 - 1 score each
Time: 11 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Reads and analyses unfamiliar text
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
One Hundred Dollars
Leonard James is a homeless man. For him, life is always hard. He is
always hungry. His shoes have holes in them. He needs a haircut. His
clothes are old and dirty. ‘What I would do with one hundred dollars!’
Leonard says. This is a game he likes to play with himself to take his
mind off things. He is walking down the street on a Thursday night. It
is winter. The air is cold.
‘If I had one hundred dollars, I could buy new shoes,’ he says. He
continues to walk down the street.
‘If I had one hundred dollars, I could get a haircut,’ he says. He continues
to walk down the street.
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
21
‘If I had one hundred dollars, I could get new pants,’ he says. He
continues to walk down the street.
‘If I had …..’ Leonard looks down at the sidewalk. He cannot believe
what he sees!
Someone has lost his wallet. Leonard picks it up. Inside are five twentydollar bills.
‘One hundred dollars!’ Leonard says. He is very excited. ‘Now I can
buy everything I want!’
Leonard begins to think. ‘But this is not my money,’ he says. Leonard
goes to the police station. He gives a police officer the wallet and money.
‘Thank you,’ says the police officer. ‘You are a very honest man.’
Leonard smiles. He turns around and begins to leave the police station.
‘Hold on,’ the police officer says. He reaches in his own pocket and
gives Leonard ten dollars. ‘Get yourself something to eat.’
1. Why is Leonard James’ life always hard?
2. How, in your opinion, winter might add to Leonard’s hardships?
3. What all things does Leonard wish to do if he gets one hundred dollars?
4. What did Leonard do with the wallet he got from the sidewalk? Why?
5. What made the officer give Leonard ten dollars?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question IV
Competencies:
Reads and analyses unfamiliar text
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
BUTTERFLY
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force
its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any
progress. It appeared that it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged
easily. But it had a swollen body and small, wrinkled wings. The man
continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment,
the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,
which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly
spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and wrinkled
wings. It never was able to fly.
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
22
What the man, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and
the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening
were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its
wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom
from the cocoon.
1. Why did the man decide to help the butterfly?
2. What did the man do to help the butterfly?
3. What did the man expect the butterfly to do after snipping off the remaining
bit of the cocoon?
4. Why was the butterfly never able to fly?
5. What thoughts does the passage evoke in us?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question V
Competencies:
Reads and analyses unfamiliar text
Gandhiji went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the
Charkha Sangh. During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa.
After his speech a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was
grey and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she
fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting. ‘I must see him,‘ she
insisted and going up to Gandhiji touched his feet. Then from the folds of her
sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up
the copper coin and put it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds were
under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji
refused. ‘I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh,’
Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly ‘yet you won’t trust me with a copper coin.’
‘This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands,’ Gandhiji said. ‘If
a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn’t mean
much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave
me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made.
That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees.’
1. What was the purpose of Gandhiji’s tours?
2. Why did the volunteers try to stop the old woman?
3. ‘I must see him.’ Why did the old woman want to see Gandhiji?
4. Why did Gandhiji refuse Jamanlal Bajaj’s request?
5. ‘I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees.’ Why did Gandhiji
say so?
6. Give a suitable title to the passage above.
Score: Questions 1 to 6 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
23
4. Constructing Discourses
Unit 3
TALES OF TOIL
Question I
Competencies:
Drafts a write-up
Makes use of the features of a write-up
The main characters in the stories - ‘The Man who knew Too Much’ and ‘The
Resignation’ are the victims of the ill-treatment of their superiors. Comment
on the statement and prepare a write-up in about 120 words.
(Hints: Private Quelch – nicknamed Professor – ambitious for a stripe – works hard
– badgers instructors with questions – corrects Corporal Turnbull – gives an
unexceptionable lecture on grenade – assigns for permanent cookhouse duties –
Lala Fatehchand – noble man – worries about losing job – obeys Saheb – suffers illtreatment mutely – revolts finally)
Score: 7
Time: 12 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Prepares a speech
Makes use of the features of a speech
The stories ‘The Man who Knew Too Much’ and ‘The Resignation’ highlights
the theme ‘Dignity of Labour’. Imagine you are asked to deliver a speech on
‘Dignity of Labour’ in your school assembly. Prepare a speech on the basis of
the two stories in about 120 words.
(Hints: introduction – hard working nature of the characters – Quelch: curious and
over ambitious in nature – inquisitive – Fatehchand: obedient – humble –
unquestioning – conclusion with own views)
Score: 7
Time: 12 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Prepares a narrative
Makes use of the features of a narrative
Imagine that Corporal Turnbull narrates to one of his friends the incident which
led Private Quelch to end up his duties in the cookhouse of the military camp.
What would he narrate? Prepare the likely narration in the light of the story
‘The Man who knew too Much’.
(Hints: interesting character – hard working – over ambitious – nicknamed as
Professor –works hard for a stripe – badger superiors – becomes laughing stock –
gets punished)
Score: 7
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 12 minutes
24
Question IV
Competencies:
Prepares conversation
Makes use of the features of conversation
Private Quelch went on interrupting the Sergeant while he was doing a session.
Imagine that one of his classmates approaches him and advises him to stop
interrupting the teachers. Write the likely conversation between them. Write
at least six exchanges.
Score: 6
Time: 10 minutes
Question V
Competencies:
Prepares the character sketch
Makes use of the features of a character sketch
Private Quelch is an interesting character, isn’t he? Despite his knowledge and
abilities to work hard everyone looked at him ‘in terror’. Prepare a brief
character sketch of Private Quelch in about 60 words.
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Question VI
Competencies:
Drafts a formal letter
Makes use of the features of a formal letter
The sergeant was angry and sent Private Quelch for permanent cookhouse
duties. Imagine that Private Quelch writes a letter seeking the sergeant’s
apology. What would he write in the letter? Write the likely letter.
Score: 6
Time: 10 minutes
Question VII
Competencies:
Prepares a short paragraph
Makes use of the features of a paragraph
The story ‘The Man who knew too Much’ opens up a debate that one should
develop skills other than hard work to succeed in life. Do you agree to this?
Substantiate your argument in not more than sixty words. Write a short
paragraph.
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Question VIII
Competencies:
Prepares a diary entry
Makes use of the features of a diary entry
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
25
Corporal Turnbull sends Private Quelch for permanent cook house duties as a
punishment. Quelch feels humiliated and becomes disgraceful. Imagine that
he makes a diary entry on the day. What would he write in his diary? Write
the likely diary entry.
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Unit 4
GLIMPSES OF A GREEN PLANET
Question IX
Competencies:
Drafts a write-up
Makes use of the features of a write-up
The editorial ‘Make the Right Choice’ and the article ‘Memories of a Dying
River’ highlight the need for protection of nature and natural resources. Do
you agree to this statement? Prepare a short write-up expressing your views
in about 120 words.
(Hints: need for protecting the Earth – climate change – temperature rise – scarcity
of drinking water - sand mining - energy scarcity – emission of chlorofluro carbon depletion of ozone layer - global warming)
Score: 7
Time: 12 minutes
Question X
Competencies:
Prepares a speech
Makes use of the features of a speech
Imagine that in connection with the World Environment Day celebrations,
you are asked to deliver a speech on ‘Global Warming and its Consequences’.
Prepare the speech in the light of the editorial ‘Make the Right Choice’.
(Hints: introduction – causes of global warming – its consequences – preventive
measures – conclusion)
Score: 7
Question XI
Competencies:
Time: 12 minutes
Drafts a write-up
Make use of the features of a write-up
‘We will have to change our lifestyles. We will have to shop, eat and travel
more intelligently.’ Do you agree to this statement of the editor? Justify your
answer and prepare a write-up in the light of the editorial ‘Make the Right
Choice’.
(Hints: relevance of the statement – global warming - causes – political measures –
individual responsibilities – awareness programmes)
Score: 7
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 12 minutes
26
Question XII
Competencies:
Drafts a write-up
Makes use of the features of a write-up
Read the news report given below.
TAIWAN DEVASTATED
Taiwan: Continuous rain in Taiwan for 3 months washed away lands,
buildings, cars and brought life to a standstill. Meteorologists opined
that climate change as after-effect of global warming and
deforestation caused such natural calamities.
The news report highlights the need to save our Mother Earth from climate
change and global warming. Prepare a write-up expressing your views on the
issue.
(Hints: global warming – climate changes - temperature rise - floods – deforestation
– ecological imbalances – exploitation of natural resources)
Score: 7
Question XIII
Competencies:
Time: 12 minutes
Prepares an editorial
Makes use of the features of an editorial
The Nature Club of your school has prepared a manuscript magazine titled
‘The Dying Rivers of Kerala’. Imagine that you are the editor of the magazine.
Draft an editorial for the magazine in not more than sixty words.
Score: 6
Time: 10 minutes
Question XIV
Competencies:
Drafts a letter
Makes use of the features of a letter
The members of the Eco Club of your school plans to write a letter to the editor
of a daily to make the public aware of the indiscriminate felling of trees for the
expansion of roads in the city. Draft a letter highlighting the consequences of
indiscriminate felling trees.
Score: 6
Time: 10 minutes
Question XV
Competencies:
Prepares slogans
Makes use of the features of slogans
Your school is planning a rally to make the public aware of the importance of
conservation of forest. Prepare three slogans to be used in the rally.
Score: 6
Time: 8 minutes
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
27
Question XVI
Competencies:
Writes an article
Makes use of the features of an article
The Nature Club of your school is organising an essay competition on the
importance of conservation of rivers. You would like to participate in the
competition. Prepare a write-up on the topic in not less than sixty words.
Score: 6
Time: 10 minutes
Question XVII
Competencies:
Drafts notice
Makes use of the features of a notice
The Eco Club of your school has produced a documentary film titled Dangers
of Global Warming. The preview of the film is scheduled on November 14.
Draft a notice giving the details.
Score: 6
Time: 10 minutes
Unit 5
GUNS AND ROSES
Question XVIII
Competencies:
Drafts a write-up
Makes use of the features of a write-up
‘At the moment of imminent death, one intensely longs for life and safety.’
How far is this statement true with the character of Peyton Farquhar?
(Hints: Farquhar – stands at the verge of execution – desires to live with family –
dreams of escaping)
Score: 7
Time: 12 minutes
Unit 6
MIRRORING THE TIMES
Question XIX
Competencies:
Drafts a write-up
Makes use of the features of a write-up
‘Media often influence attitudes and sensibilities of a nation’. Do you agree
with this statement? Prepare a write-up in about 120 words expressing your
views.
(Hints: type of programmes - affect the ways of thinking and behaviour - powerful
means of propaganda - provides choices - good amount of information - sometimes
undigested - unrelated - unpleasant)
Score: 7
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 12 minutes
28
Question XX
Competencies:
Drafts a letter
Makes use of the features of a letter
Imagine that you write a letter to the editor of a newspaper expressing your
views on the role played by media in bringing important issues for public
discussion. What would you write in the letter? Write the likely letter.
Score: 5
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 10 minutes
29
5. Interpreting Data
Question I
Competencies:
Analyses and interprets the given data
Transfers information from one form to another
Read the following details about Remya Mangalath.
Remya Mangalath is a student studying in ninth standard in ABC High school
since 2006. The school is at Anna Nagar, Second Street and Remya stays with
her uncle Samuel in Bapuji Nagar which is 50 kilometres away from the school.
The journey to school is too tiresome for her. She discussed her problems with
her teacher. She told her to apply for a short-stay home near the school. Remya
is very happy. Samuel gave his mobile No: 944622818 to her. Remya has her
student ID No: TD123423.
Imagine that Remya wants to fill in an application form. Help her to fill in
the form.
APPLICATION FORM:
Name
:
Remya Mangalath
Student ID
:
TD123423
House address
:
____________a_____________
Standard
:
____________b_____________
Name of the school:
____________c_____________
How long have you been studying in the school? ____________d_____________
Name of local guardian and contact details: ____________e_____________
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Analyses and interprets the given data
Transfers information from one form to another
The following diagram is shows the space spend for various news items in
a newspaper. Study the diagram carefully.
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
30
News Item s
Sports, 10%
Editorial, 5%
Local News, 30%
A dvertisements,
30%
National
News, 17%
International
News, 8%
Now, answer the following questions.
1. Which news item utilizes the least space?
2. The percentage of space left for International news.
3. Two items utilize the same space. Which are those items?
4. Which news item is given more importance - International News or
National News?
5. Arrange the news items in ascending order.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Analyses and interprets the given data
Transfers information from one form to another
Read the following headlines and answer the questions that follow:
Respectful homage to Food Minister Sri. T.M.Jacob
Sebastian Vettel wins the
first Formula One Race in India
Kamlesh Sharma unanimously elected
as Commonwealth Secretary General
Science fest begins in schools
Vehicle theft – Two held
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
31
1. The headline related to maintenance of law and order is _____________.
2. The headline related to an educational activity is _____________.
3. Appointment of a person to the highest office is highlighed in the headline
_____________.
4. The headline reports the demise of a reputed person is _____________.
5. A historical moment in Indian Sports is revealed in the headline
_____________.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question IV
Competencies:
Analyses and interprets the given data
Here are the front covers of four books. Read them carefully and answer the
questions that follow:
Dr G. Francis Xavier Ph.D
Intermediate English
EW
N Grammar Supplementary
Exercises
The World’s Best Thought
Provoking
JOKES
Pustak Mahal
Rs. 100
LOUISE HASHEMI WITH
RAYMOND MURPHY
Cambridge University
Press
Rs. 250
Roy Daniel
Agatha Christie
Spelling Bee
MOUSE TRAP
Enrich your Vocabulary
A Detective Novel
Macmillan
Rs. 200
Samuel French
Rs. 125
1. You are planning to participate in a ‘Word Power’ competition. Which book
would you like to buy?
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
32
2. If you want the latest version of a grammar book, which one will you choose?
3. Which book is written by a woman writer?
4. Who is the publisher of the book of Jokes?
5. Which of the above books cost more?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question V
Competencies:
Analyses and interprets the given data
The following diagram represents the favourite hobbies of students of Std.
IX. Examine it carefully.
1. Which is the most favourite hobby found among students?
2. Which are the two hobbies engaged in by the same number of students?
3. Which item stands second among the hobbies?
4. Most of the students spend their liesure time watching TV. Is this statement
true according to the given diagram?
5. How many students spend their time playing football?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 8 minutes
33
6. Using Language Elements
Question I
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Fill in the blanks choosing the right word given in the brackets below.
SLEEP
The National Sleep Foundation in / (a) United States says / (b) 7-9 hours of
sleep daily is best for / (c) adult. Seven to nine hours / (d) sleep is good for
memory, alertness, problem solving / (e) health. Getting too much sleep may
not be good / (f) anyone.
(of, that, and, from, an, for, the)
Score: 6
Time: 8 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Supply the missing words in the following passage where ‘/’ is marked.
ONCE IN A BLUE MOON
Two full moons in / (a) same month / (b) extremely rare, though they do
happen. A second full moon has come / (c) be called / (d) blue moon. This is
apparently because the Marine Farmer’s Almanac used to list the date of first
moon / (e) red text / (f) the second moon in blue.
Score: 6
Time: 8 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the passage given below and fill in the blanks with suitable words.
I like to walk ____a_____ a river bank. I look at the reflection of the trees and
its branches ____b_____ the water. I watch the fish gliding ____c_____ the
reeds ____d_____ the water in the river.
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Question IV
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Supply the missing words in the following passage where ‘/’ is given. 6
Swami had always slept ______a_______ Granny in the passage and any change
______b_______ this arrangement kept him trembling all night. He hoped
______c_______ first that his father was joking. But later Swami realized that
the matter had gone ______d_______ his control.
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
34
Question V
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Complete the following conversation suitably.
Sabu : It’s long time since we met, ______________a__________?
Sanal : Yea, I’ve been away for quite some time.
Sabu :______________b_______________________________?
Sanal : I’ve been to Chennai.
Sabu : In your absence ___________________c________________?
Sanal : My elder sister and her husband will take care of my parents.
Sabu : ________________________d________________________?
Sanal : I’ll be here for a month
Sabu : You’re planning to settle in Chennai, _________e_______?
Sanal : Not yet decided so. Let’s see.
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Question VI
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Complete the following conversation suitably.
Reshma
: You look quite tired.______________a__________?
Maya
: I am not feeling well.
Reshma
:______________b_______________________________?
Maya
: Yes, I’ve consulted a doctor.
Reshma
: ___________________c________________?
Maya
: He said he couldn’t find out anything.
Reshma
: ________________________d________________________?
Reshma
: The doctor at the City Hospital
Maya
: You’re planning to take a second opinion, _______e________?
Reshma
: Yes, I think I should.
Score : 5
Time: 8 minutes
Question VII
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Complete the following dialogue suitably.
Sandra
: How are you, Dad?
Father
: I’m fine.
Sandra
: You’ve read my book, ____a_________?
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
35
Father
Sandra
Father
Sandra
Father
Sandra
Father
Score: 5
: No, dear. _______________b_____________?
: Here it’s.
: Thank you dear. But unless someone helps _____c_________.
: I’ll read it out for you.
: That is so kind of you. But, ________________d____________?
: I’ll be here for a week.
: Then I can listen to the whole book, _________e__________?
Time: 8 minutes
Question VIII
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Complete the following conversation between Fatehchand and Saheb
suitably.
Saheb
: How did you get in? Get out at once.
Fatehchand : You asked me to come, ___________a________?
Saheb
: Yes, but, ____b_________?
Fatehchand : Yes, do you think you alone can be angry?
Saheb
: No, but you are my friend dear.
Fatehchand : No more insincere words. You insulted me.
Saheb
: __________________c______________________?
Fatehchand : Just half an hour ago. _________d__________?
Saheb
: Yes, I don’t remember.
Fatehchand
: You need treatment for this and I know what to do.
Saheb
: My dear,________________________e_____________?
Fatehchand
: It’s nothing. Accept this blow on your head!
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Question IX
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the conversation and complete the sentences that follow:
Sergeant: Have you got any training?
Quelch: It’s all a matter of intelligence.
a) Sergeant asked___________________________________
b) Quelch replied _________________________________
Score: 2
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 4 minutes
36
Question X
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the following sentences that are reported and write the original words
of the speakers.
Saheb ordered Fatehchand to go to the office and fetch the file. Fatehchand
asked him which file he should bring.
a. Saheb: Fatehchand,_________________________________
b. Fatehchand: Sir, _________________________________
Score: 2
Time: 4 minutes
Question XI
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the piece of conversation below and answer the questions that follow.
Farquhar: How far is it to the Owl Creek Bridge?
Man: It’s about thirty miles.
a) What did Farquhar ask?
b) What was the man’s reply?
Score: 2
Time: 4 minutes
Question XII
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Imagine that you hear the following telephone conversation.
Ramu: Can I speak to Malu, please?
Narayan: Who’s speaking?
Ramu: I’m her classmate, Ramu.
Narayan: She is not here.
Now, answer the following questions.
a. What did Ramu ask Narayan?
b. What was Narayan’s reply?
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XII
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Here is the routine activities of Kabir. Complete it using the phrasal verbs
given in brackets.
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
37
(go through, get up, turn on, set off, take down)
Kabir _______a__________ at 6.00 in the morning. He ________b__________the
morning newspaper till 6.15 am. At 6.30 he _______c___________the radio and
listens to music. He ________d_________ on a morning stroll at 7 am.
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XIII
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Consider the news headlines and replace the underlined words with the
phrasal verbs given in brackets.
( put off, run out, go for, hold up, set off)
a. Mad dog attacks many.
b. Flight delayed due to bad weather
c. Stock of sugar exhausted
d. Examinations postponed
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XIV
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
At the entrance of the zoo the following notice was displayed. Your friend
could not understand certain words. Help her understand the notice by
replacing the words with appropriate phrasal verbs
NOTICE
Those who visit the zoo are requested to bear with the inconvenience caused
due to the renovation work that is in progress. We have arranged a cafeteria
outside the zoo premises. Kindly avoid taking plastic bottles and cups to the
zoo. Don’t go near the cages of animals. They might attack you!
(call for, call at, put up with, go for, set up, go on)
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XV
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the following passage and replace the words underlined with the
phrasal verbs given in brackets.
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
38
The grand finale of the reality show proved to be a great success. When the
film stars came to distribute the awards the crowd went into an uproar. The
power failed just before the results were announced. The film stars could not
leave as a crowd gathered around the stage.
(turn up, call at, give away, take off, turn out, get off)
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XVI
Competencies:
Edits and refines a loosely written passage
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Edit the following passage.
The preparations for the execution completes. The executioners stepped aside.
The sergeant was waiting by the signal from the captain. At a signal the sergeant
would step aside and the plank upon which he stand would tilt and the
condemned man would went down between two ties.
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XVII
Competencies:
Edits and refines a loosely written passage
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the following passage and edit the errors in it.
The door was closed. I knocks at the door again and again. There was no
response. I thought of a moment. I had to met the lady of the house. ‘What I
should do now?’ I asked myself. I need to do something.
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XVIII
Competencies:
Edits and refines a loosely written passage
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Here is a report on the unscientific disposal on garbage in a panchayat. Edit
it suitably.
The sidewalks for our panchayat is not kept clean. We dumped garbage in
public places regularly. Unscientific disposal of garbage leads to many diseases.
The public needed to be aware of its consequences. The panchayat authorities
have took action to prevent the unscientific disposal of garbage.
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
39
Question XIX
Competencies:
Edits and refines a loosely written passage
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the following conversation and edit it suitably.
Mother : What are you doing?
Ravi
: I watching a nice programme on TV.
Mother : How many times I told you not to waste time like this?
Ravi
: It’ll over in half an hour.
Mother : Unless you finishes your homework, I won’t take you out.
Score: 4
Question XX
Competencies:
Time: 6 minutes
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the following passage and identify the complements and object
complements in it.
John is a doctor. He cares his patients well. He has a car. He visits his patients
at their houses. He makes them comfortable. But some consider him insane.
Nobody ever finds him idle. He always looks energetic.
Now complete the following table. One is done for you.
Complements
Object Complements
a. a doctor
b. comfortable
c. ____________
d. _____________
e. ____________
f. ______________
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XXI
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the following passage and identify the complements and object
complements in it.
I have a car. I painted it golden. My friends called me crazy. But I was happy.
I didn’t bother about the others. They regarded me haughty. But now, they
look uninterested.
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
40
Now complete the following table.
One is done for you.
Complements
a. a car
c. ____________
e. ____________
Object Complements
b. golden
d. _____________
f. ______________
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XXII
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the following passage and identify the objects and complements in it.
We planned a trip to Delhi. There were four members. We booked the tickets
last week. We were excited. We packed our bags. But finally we cancelled the
trip. My mother fell sick.
Now complete the following table. One is done for you.
Object
Complement
a. a trip
b. four members
c. ____________
e. ____________
d. _____________
f. ______________
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Question XXIII
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Read the following passage and identify the objects and complements in it.
The book is interesting. I bought it yesterday. I paid hundred rupees for it. It
has a nice cover. It looks wonderful I’ll ask my friend to read it.
Now complete the following table. One is done for you.
Object
Complement
a. It
b. interesting
c. ____________
e. ____________
d. _____________
f. ______________
Score: 4
Sample Questions - English Standard IX
Time: 6 minutes
41
QUESTION POOL
ENGLISH
STANDARD IX
CONTENTS
1. Analysing Textual Passages
3
2. Analysing Textual Poems
12
3. Analysing Unfamiliar Passages
18
4. Constructing Discourses
20
5. Intrepreting Data
27
6. Using Language Elements
29
1. Analysing Textual Passages
Unit 1
ROOTS
Question I
Competency:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses language elements contextually
Read the following passage and answer the questions given.
The son asked one question after the other, but Berl’s answer was always the
same. They had everything. The garden, the cow, the goat, the chickens
provided them with all they needed.
The son said, ‘If thieves knew about this, your lives wouldn’t be safe.’
‘There are no thieves here.’
‘What will happen to the money?’
‘You take it.’
Slowly, Berl and Berlcha grew accustomed to their son and his American
Yiddish. Berlcha could hear him better now. She even recognized his voice.
He was saying, ‘Perhaps we should build a larger synagogue.’
‘The synagogue is big enough,’ Berl replied.
‘Perhaps a home for old people.’
‘No one sleeps in the street.’
1. ‘There are no thieves here,’ says Berl. Why are there no thieves in
Lentshin?
2. What changes does Samuel plan to bring about in Lentshin?
3. How does Berl respond to Samuel’s plans?
4. Pick out the word from the passage that means ‘building where Jews
meet for worship and teaching’.
5. Read the dialogue given below.
Samuel: We should build a larger synagogue.
Berl: The synagogue is big enough.
Now, complete the sentences given below.
a)
Samuel told Berl…………………………………….
b)
Berl replied……………………………………………
Score: Questions No. 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Question No. 5 - 2 scores
Time: 10 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
3
Question II
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses vocabulary and language elements contextually
Read the following passage and answer the questions given.
The couple had a son, Samuel, who had gone to America forty years ago. It
was said in Lentshin that he became a millionaire there. Every month, the
Lentshin letter carrier brought old Berl a money order and a letter that no one
could read because many of the words were English. How much money Samuel
sent his parents remained a secret.
They never seemed to use the money. What for? The garden, the cow and the
goat provided most of their needs. Besides, Berlcha sold chickens and eggs
and from these there was enough to buy flour for bread.
1. What was the rumour that existed in Lentshin about Samuel?
2. What may be the reason why Samuel wrote letters to his parents in a
language unfamiliar to them?
3. Berl and Berlcha never seemed to use the money Samuel sent. Why?
4. How did Berl and Berlcha meet the daily expenses of their life?
5. Find out the word from the passage that means ‘a very rich person’.
6. ‘The garden, the cow and the goat provided most of their needs.’ Rewrite
the sentence beginning with:
Most of their needs ___________________________________
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Question 6 - 2 scores
Time: 12 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses vocabulary and language elements contextually
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below.
‘I never thought I could live to see this. Now, I am happy to die,’ Berlcha said.
Berl was amazed. These were just the words he could have said earlier. After
a while Berl came to himself and said, ‘Berlcha, you will have to make a double
Sabbath pudding in addition to the stew.’ It was years since Berl had called
Berlcha by her given name. Only now did Berlcha begin to cry. Yellow tears
ran from her eyes and everything became dim. Then she called out, ‘It’s Friday!
Questions - English Standard IX
4
I have to prepare for the Sabbath.’ Yes, she had to knead the dough for the
loaves. With such a guest, she had to make a larger Sabbath stew. The winter
day is short and she must hurry.
1. ‘I never thought I could live to see this.’ What does Berlcha mean by this
statement?
2. What are the food items that Berlcha has to prepare for the Sabbath?
3. What does the expression ‘yellow tears’ signify?
4. ‘With such a guest, she had to make a larger Sabbath stew.’ Who is the
‘guest’ referred to here?
5. Pick out a word from the passage that means, ‘to press and stretch with
one’s hands’
6. ‘The winter day is short and she must hurry.’ Split the sentence into two
and identify the Noun Phrases in them.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Question 6 - 2 scores
Time: 12 minutes
Question IV
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses vocabulary and language elements contextually
Read the following extract and answer the questions below.
Here in Lentshin nothing happened except the usual events: a cow gave birth
to a calf, a young couple got married. Actually, Lentshin had become a village
with few young people. The young men left for Warsaw and sometimes for
the United States.
In the smallest of these huts lived old Berl, a man in his eighties and his wife
Berlcha. He was short, broad-shouldered and had a small white beard. In
summer and winter he wore a sheepskin hat, a padded cotton jacket and stout
boots. He had half an acre of field, a cow, a goat and chickens.
1. What were the usual events that happened in Lentshin?
2. Why did the young people leave Lentshin?
3. What were the assets of the Berls?
4. Find the word opposite in meaning to ‘death’.
Questions - English Standard IX
5
5. Old Berl, a man in his eighties, was short, broad-shouldered and had a
small white beard.
This is a description about Old Berl. Split the sentence into simple
sentences.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Question 5 - 3 scores
Time: 12 minutes
Question V
Competency:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Read the excerpt from the story, 'The Tattered Blanket' and answer the
questions given.
She saw a bald, fat, middle aged man walking in through the gate.
'Oh, Gopi!' She said in her grating voice. 'Why, this sudden unexpected visit?'
'Kamalam, who is it?' Her mother asked loudly from the veranda.
‘Gopi,’ the man said. ‘There was a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram. I just
dropped in on my way back’.
'Who? Kamalam, who is it?' There was a note of alarm in Amma's voice.
‘Amma, why are you so scared?’ Kamalam, Gopi's eldest sister asked her a
little awkwardly. 'As if you are seeing Gopi for the first time!'
'Amma it's me, Gopi,' he said again.
He bent down and brought his face close to her wrinkled cheeks.
'Amma, it's me.'
'Gopi? Kamalam, I can't believe it! Has his school closed for the vacation?'
1. How is Gopi described in the passage?
2. Why did he come there?
3. Why was there a note of alarm in Amma's voice?
4. How did the son express his love for his mother?
5. 'Gopi? Kamalam, I can't believe it! Has his school closed for the vacation?'
What do you understand about the mother from her words?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
6
Question VI
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Read the following extract from the story, ‘The Tattered Blanket’ and answer
the questions given.
Gopi's sister put Amma to bed and came back to the veranda. You didn't come
to see Amma, did you?'
'Delhi is too expensive. You know I have four children to look after now. I
can't make ends meet with my salary. And one has to keep up one's status. It
will be a great help if I can raise some money by selling my share of the family
property. I came to talk it over with you.'
'You'll sell your land and go away with the money. I know you won't come
here anymore after that.'
'Don't say that. I'll come when I get time.'
'Your time!'
He saw the irritation on his sister's face.
1. What problems did Gopi have in Delhi?
2. What was the purpose of Gopi's visit to his home?
3. 'You'll sell your land and go away with the money. I know you won't
come here anymore after that.' What impression do you get about Gopi
from his sister's words?
4. Why was Gopi's sister irritated?
5. Do you think that Gopi will come again to visit his mother? Substantiate
your opinion.
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question VII
Competencies:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Read the following extract from the story, ‘The Tattered Blanket’ and answer
the questions given.
'Tell him to send me a blanket. There is a cold mist in the mornings. If I catch
a cold it doesn't leave me for a long time. Tell him to send a blanket, won't
you? A red one. I had a blanket, the one he bought for me when he was studying
Questions - English Standard IX
7
in Madras. It is all tattered now, just a ball of knotted yarn. Tell him to send me
a red blanket, will you?'
'I'll tell him,' he nodded.
'Please don't forget to tell him. The mist is not good for me. I think I'll stretch
myself out for a bit. I have been sitting too long in the armchair. I have a pain
in the neck.'
1. 'Tell him to send me a blanket.' Who is Amma referring to?
2. What does Amma want her son to do?
3. What promise does the son give his mother?
4. Why does Amma need a blanket now?
5. Do you think that Gopi will bring a red blanket for his mother? Why?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Unit 2
BREAKING BARRIERS
Question I
Competency:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Read the following extract from the one act play, 'The Princess on the Road'
and answer the questions given below.
PRINCESS: Where am I now? I must be twelve miles from home. And no one
has known me! How I will laugh at Florimund! This is life! If I can
do this once in every month I shall not mind the sentries and the
banquets. Our good Florimund will find me an angel when I
return. How he will laugh when he sees my dust and my rags!
Can I get a coach from here, I wonder, to take me home? Where
are all the people? This is like a village of the dead. I am thirsty. I
will have a glass of milk and then one of these good villagers
shall drive me home. Where are they all? Hoh! la la! (She calls
loudly.)
1. The princess says, 'This is life!' What light does this statement throw on her
life in the palace?
2. Who is Florimund?
3. Why does the princess think that Florimund will laugh at her?
4. Why does the princess think only about milk when she is thirsty?
Questions - English Standard IX
8
5. 'This is like a village of the dead.' What made the princess say so?
Score: Questions No. 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question II
Competency:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Uses vocabulary and language elements contextually
Read the following extract from the one act play, 'The Princess on the Road'
and answer the questions given below.
PRINCESS : Oh! I wanted an adventure; I left them all and borrowed a peasant
girl's clothes. I came along the road, picking flowers…all alone…
so free…. Then these set upon me and said I had stolen their things.
I only took a little milk and bread and flowers. And they won't
know who I am.
JUGGLER (turning round and speaking very clearly): Good people, you do
not know what you are doing. This is her Highness the Princess,
the newly married wife of our illustrious Prince Florimund.
1. Why did the princess want adventure?
2. 'I left them all and borrowed a peasant girl's clothes.' What all things did the
princess leave?
3. Why does the princess think that she did not steal anything?
4. 'Good people, you do not know what you are doing.' Is this a statement or a
warning? Why?
5. Pick out one word from the extract which means 'very famous and much
admired'.
Score: Questions No. 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question III
Competency:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Read the following extract from the memoir, 'Only Daughter' and answer
the questions given below.
I was/am the only daughter and only a daughter. Being an only daughter in a
family of six sons forced me by circumstance to spend a lot of time by myself
because my brothers felt it beneath them to play with a girl in public. But that
Questions - English Standard IX
9
aloneness, that loneliness, was good for a would-be writer-it allowed me time
to think, to imagine, to read, and prepare myself.
1. Comment on the significance of the usage 'only daughter' and 'only a
daughter' in the first line.
2. Why did the brothers not play with their sister?
3. How did the loneliness at home help her?
4. What according to the speaker is essential for a would-be writer?
5. Is being an only daughter in a family of six sons good or bad? Why?
Score: Questions No. 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question IV
Competency:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Read the following extract from the memoir, 'Only Daughter' and answer
the questions given below.
I went upstairs to my father's room. One of my stories had just been translated
into Spanish and published in an anthology of Chicano writing, and I wanted
to show it to him. Ever since he recovered from a stroke two years ago, my
father likes to spend his leisure hours horizontally. And that's how I found
him, watching a movie on television and eating rice pudding.
There was a glass filmed with milk on the bedside table. There were several
vials of pills. And on the floor, one black sock and a plastic urinal that I didn't
want to look at but looked at anyway. The singer on the TV was about to burst
into song, and my father was laughing.
1. Why did the author go upstairs?
2. What does the author mean by 'spend leisure hours horizontally'?
3. What was the father doing when she saw him?
4. What does the passage tell you about the present condition of the father?
5. Why did she not want to look at the plastic urinal on the floor?
Score: Questions No. 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
10
Question V
Competency:
Reads and analyses literary pieces
Read the following extract from the memoir, 'Only Daughter' and answer
the questions given below.
I sat on the bed next to my father and waited. He read it very slowly. As if he
were reading each line over and over. He laughed at all the right places and
read lines he liked out loud. He pointed and asked questions: 'Is this So-andso?' 'Yes,' I said. He kept reading.
When he was finally finished, after what seemed like hours, my father looked
up and asked: 'Where can we get more copies of this for the relatives?'
Of all the wonderful things that happened to me last year, that was the most
wonderful.
1. What did the daughter wait for?
2. How did the father express his liking towards the lines he read?
3. Why did the father want to give copies of the book to relatives?
4. What according to the author was the most wonderful thing that happened
the previous year?
5. Why does the author consider it to be the most wonderful thing?
Score: Questions No. 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
11
2. Analysing Textual Poems
Unit 1
ROOTS
Question I
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem 'Those Winter Sundays' and answer
the questions given.
Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labour in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.
1. Who are the two persons referred to here?
2. What does 'Sundays too' mean?
3. What do you understand about the life of the father from these lines?
4. Pick out a visual image from the stanza.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem 'Those Winter Sundays' and answer
the questions given.
I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house
1. How did the rooms become warm?
2. Explain the expression 'chronic angers of the house'.
3. What is referred to by 'the cold splintering and breaking'?
Questions - English Standard IX
12
4. Pick out an auditory image from the stanza.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem 'Those Winter Sundays' and answer
the questions given.
Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?
1. What does the father do for his son?
2. Comment on the relationship between the father and the son.
3. What is the mood of the last two lines of the stanza?
4. Explain the expression 'love's austere and lonely offices'.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question IV
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem 'To My Nanny' and answer the
questions given.
Dear doting sweetheart of my childhood,
Companion of my austere fate!
In the lone house deep in the wild wood
How patiently for me you wait.
Alone beside your window sitting
You wait for me and blame the clock,
While, in your wrinkled hands, your knitting
Fitfully falters to a stop.
Questions - English Standard IX
13
1. Who is the speaker of the poem?
2. How does the speaker describe Nanny?
3. Where is the speaker's house situated?
4. Why does Nanny 'blame the clock'?
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question V
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem 'To My Nanny' and answer the
questions given.
Beyond the crumbling gates the pinetrees
Shadow the road you watch so well.
Nameless forebodings, dark anxieties,
Oppress your heart. You cannot tell
What visions haunt you: Now you seem to
See...
1. What may be some of the 'nameless forebodings' in Nanny's mind?
2. Who is responsible for putting Nanny in such a state?
3. Pick out an auditory image from these lines.
4. 'The pinetrees shadow the road' is highly suggestive. Explain.
Score: Questions 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
14
Unit 2
BREAKING BARRIERS
Question I
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem ‘Even Past Fifty’ and answer the
questions given below.
She’s past fifty;
yet she’s still
a little girl at heart,
for whom the house is a doll’s house,
and running the household
a childhood game.
1. What is the nature of woman described here?
2. Explain the expression ‘the house is a doll’s house’.
3. What is the duty people expect her to perform?
4. How does she perform her appointed duty?
Score: Questions No. 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem ‘Even Past Fifty’ and answer the
questions given below.
She has travelled a long road; but her little feet
are not yet fatigued.
Catastrophes to her
are still like the evil spirits
in children’s stories
whom she fights with blades
of grass; wipes the sweat
from her brow; hits hard;
sometimes wins, sometimes loses,
her sword broken.
Questions - English Standard IX
15
i. Explain the expression ‘travelled a long road’.
ii. Identify an instance of simile used in the stanza.
iii. How does she fight against evil spirits?
iv. Do you think she stops fighting when her sword is broken? Justify your
answer.
Score: Questions No. 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem ‘Even Past Fifty’ and answer the
questions given below.
Difficult questions
she has simplified for herself;
fitted the tangle
into a simple frame;
on her face
she has made distaste smile,
like moonlight that makes everything smooth.
But sometimes totally in despair,
a flower crumpled in a fist, she
rises again, smiles, or sings to herself,
though hers is not a musical voice.
1. How does the woman overcome her hardships?
2. Pick out an instance of simile from the stanza.
3. What is her state equated with?
4. What may be the reason for her ‘not a musical voice’?
Score: Questions No. 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
16
Question IV
Competencies:
Reads, analyses and appreciates the given poem
Reads and identifies poetic craft
Read the following stanza of the poem ‘Even Past Fifty’ and answer the
questions given below.
I saw her the other day
after a long time;
she talked
with her usual, irrepressible intensity;
but I, for the first time,
noted the hair fast becoming white,
noted, for the first time, and with a pang,
the hollowness of the froth
rising above the stream of her life.
1. Who are the two persons referred to in the stanza?
2. What change does the speaker find in the woman?
3. What is the feeling of the speaker on seeing her?
4. What is her white hair equated with?
Score: Questions No. 1 to 4 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
17
3. Analysing Unfamiliar Passages
Question I
Competencies:
Reads and analyses unfamiliar text
Here is a sad letter written by an Asiatic Lion to Aristotle. Read the letter
and answer the questions that follow.
Dear Aristotle,
Please help us lions! I never imagined we, hailed in fables and
folktales as the 'King of the Jungle', would be in such a sorry state in
India today. We are kings no more; we have no kingdom.
Life would have been smooth if man hadn't invented spears and
guns. The cruel sport of men reduced our number to just 20. The Gir
forests and the adjoining area in Gujarat are our only home. That too
is shrinking. We are evicted!
We need a safe home somewhere now. Would people and their
Governments put their difference aside and help us? Please, hear
us!
Asiatic Lion
1. What prompted the Asiatic Lion to write a letter to Aristotle?
2. What position do lions hold in fables and folktales?
3. 'We are evicted'! Why does the lion say so?
4. How is man responsible for the present condition of the Asiatic lions?
5. What is the plea of the Asiatic Lion to the people and the Government?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 8 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Reads and analyses unfamiliar text
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Slap! Swat! How do annoying mosquitoes find you? Is it your wonderful
personality or is it something else which attracts them? And why are you so
rarely able to swat them before they fly off to another feast?
There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes in the world. The word ‘mosquito’
means ‘little fly’ in Portuguese. Mosquitoes have wings with scales. These
tiny scales help eliminate the effects of friction. This helps the mosquitoes skim
Questions - English Standard IX
18
quickly and efficiently through the air, making them almost impossible to swat.
The familiar high-pitched, annoying buzz of the mosquito comes from the
sound of its wings beating 600 times per second! Do you know that it is the
female mosquitoes which bite you? Mosquitoes seek out warmth and
movement -- both properties of human beings and other animals. They also
seek carbon dioxide, which is exhaled by humans and other animals. So while
it is not exactly your wonderful personality which attracts them, the social
activities of conversation and laughter -- which involve movement and the
exhalation of carbon dioxide -- are what attract these annoying little insects!
1. What do you do when you find an annoying mosquito?
2. What does the word 'mosquito' mean?
3. Why are we unable to swat mosquitoes easily?
4. Why are mosquitoes described as 'annoying'?
5. What attracts these little insects most to you - your personality or something
else?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 score each
Time: 10 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Reads and analyses unfamiliar text
The beasts of the forest gave a splendid entertainment at which the Monkey
stood up and danced. His performance delighted one and all. This won him
great applause from the audience. The Camel, envious of the praises showered
on the Monkey decided to win the favour of the audience. He proposed to
dance for their amusement. He turned out to be laughing stock and the angry
audience drove him out of the assembly. The camel finally understood that it
is stupid to mimic others.
1. Give an appropriate title to the passage.
2. How did the Monkey entertain the audience?
3. Why was the Camel envious?
4. ‘He proposed to dance for their amusement.’ Substitute another word for
'amusement'
5. What message do you get from this story?
Score: Questions 1 to 5 - 1 mark each
Time: 8 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
19
4. Constructing Discourses
Unit 1
ROOTS
Question I
Competencies:
Constructs narratives based on incidents
Makes use of the features of writing a good narrative
Samuel returns to New York after his brief stay with his parents. His friends in
New York are eager to hear the story of his village Lentshin from him.
Samuel begins his narration like:
'The very first day of my visit itself was quite funny... '
Complete the narrative in about 120 words.
(Hints: first day at home in Lentshin - meeting father and mother - visit of
neighbours - visit to the synagogue - Lentshin without change - helps mother
in preparing Sabbath - the way parents kept money he sent - plans to spend
the money - Lentshin needs nothing)
Score: 7
Time: 15 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Prepares write-up based on the hints provided
Makes use of the features of a good write-up
Here is a piece of dialogue from the story 'The Son from America'. Read it.
Samuel
:
What will happen to the money?
Berl
:
You take it.
This dialogue is a clue to the theme of the story. Prepare a write-up
substantiating this observation on the basis of your reading of the story.
(Hints: forty years of life in America - aged parents alone at home - young men
leaving Lentshin seeking better career - parents need love and care of their
children, not money)
Score: 7
Time: 15 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
20
Question III
Competencies:
Prepares write-up based on the hints provided
Makes use of the features of a good write-up
You have seen the sad state of the two mothers in the short stories, 'The Tattered
Blanket' and 'The Son from America'. Whose state, according to you, is more
pathetic?
Prepare a write-up comparing the two characters by citing instances from the
stories.
(Hints: Samuel forty years in America - Gopi in Delhi - aged parents at home
seeking love and care of their children - Gopi’s mother in state of forgetfulness
- Berlcha old and weak)
Score: 7
Time: 15 minutes
Question IV
Competencies:
Prepares write-up based on the hints provided
Makes use of the features of a good write-up
Samuel and Gopi, the characters in the short stories 'The Son from America'
and 'The Tattered Blanket' had to leave their parents and migrate to other
places to earn a living. But their parents really miss their love and care. Do you
justify the sons in neglecting their parents? Who do you think is a better son to
his parents? Why? Prepare a write-up in about 120 words.
(Hints: Samuel forty years in America - Gopi in Delhi - not caring their aged
parents at home - Gopi forgets to buy a blanket for her mother - Samuel brings
presents and money - nobody needs them - Gopi finds relief in his mother’s
state)
Score: 7
Time: 15 minutes
Question V
Competencies:
Prepares diary entry reflecting one’s feelings and emotions
Makes use of the features of a diary entry
Samuel had big plans when he reached Lentshin. To his astonishment, the
villagers needed nothing. He never expected such a reaction from their part.
Imagine that he expressed his feelings in his diary. Write the likely diary entry
of Samuel in about 60 words.
Score: 5
Time: 10 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
21
Question VI
Competencies:
Drafts letters
Makes use of the features of a letter
Every month, the Lentshin letter carrier brought old Berl a money order and a
letter. Berl and Berlcha could not read the letter because it was written in
English. What would Samuel write in his letter to his parents? Imagine and
write the likely letter Samuel wrote to his parents.
Score: 6
Time: 12 minutes
Question VII
Competencies:
Constructs narratives based on incidents
Makes use of the features of writing a good narrative
Once in a while when Berl came home from the synagogue, he brought news
to his wife. Berlcha listened and shook her head.
Narrate one such possible instance in about 60 words.
Score: 5
Time: 10 minutes
Question VIII
Competencies:
Prepares diary entry reflecting one’s feelings and emotions
Makes use of the features of a diary entry
'The next day after the Sabbath, Samuel went for a walk across the market
place. He had a desire to talk to someone, but the whole of Lentshin was asleep.'
What would his thoughts be?
Record his thoughts in the form of a diary entry.
Score: 5
Time: 10 minutes
Question IX
Competencies:
Prepares conversation relevant to the context
Makes use of the features of a conversation
Samuel reached his home after forty years. Seeing Berlcha, he told, 'Mother,
it's me, your son Samuel-Sam.' Berlcha cackled like a hen and cried out, 'My
son!' But their conversation was interrupted by the entry of Berl. If they
continued their conversation, how would it be like?
Questions - English Standard IX
22
Write the likely conversation. Write at least four exchanges.
Score: 4
Time: 8 minutes
Question X
Competencies:
Prepares conversation relevant to the context
Makes use of the features of a conversation
'The neighbours had heard the good news that Berl's son had arrived from
America and they came to greet him.' They were eager to talk with him.
Construct the possible conversation one of the neighbours had with Samuel.
Write at least four exchanges.
Score: 4
Time: 8 minutes
Question XI
Competencies:
Prepares profile based on the details given
Makes use of the features of a good profile
Here are a few biographical details of Samuel, the protagonist of the story
'The Son from America'. Read them and prepare a profile of Samuel.
Name
:
Samuel
Age
:
55
Place of birth
:
Lentshin, Poland
Parents
:
Father - Berl, Mother - Berlcha
Occupation
:
Baker in New York
Other details
:
Lived in exile for 40 years, became a
millionaire, has plans to help his villagers
Score: 6
Time: 12 minutes
Question XII
Competencies:
Describes a place
Makes use of the features of a description
A description about Lentshin is given. Read it.
The village of Lentshin was tiny. It was surrounded by little huts with thatched
roofs or shingles green with moss. The chimneys looked like pots. Between the
huts there were fields, where the owners planted vegetables or pastured their
goats.
Prepare a description of your native place.
Score: 4
Time: 8 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
23
Unit 2
BREAKING BARRIERS
Question I
Competencies:
Prepares write-up based on the hints provided
Makes use of the features of a good write-up
Here is an observation by a villager about the princess from the play, 'The
Princess on the Road'.
'Without a shoe! And in rags! The Princess!'
On the basis of your reading of the play, do you think appearance has a crucial
role in judging people?
Prepare a brief write-up in about 120 words.
(Hints: Princess dusty and in rags - torn edge of the skirt - with a shoeless foot
- hair like a pigtail - tied with cotton handkerchief - villagers take her as a
vagabond - no one believes her)
Score: 7
Time: 15 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Prepares diary entry reflecting one’s feelings and emotions
Makes use of the features of a diary entry
After returning to the palace, the Princess records all that happened in the
eventful day of her encounter with the villagers.
Attempt her likely diary entry in about 120 words.
(Hints: her day with the villagers - entering a cottage - taking bread and milk
- quarrel with villagers - juggler’s attempt to convince the villagers - sings dances - juggles apples - everyone spellbound - back to palace)
Score: 7
Time: 15 minutes
Question III
Competencies:
Prepares announcements
Makes use of the features of an announcement
Florimund was shocked when he came to know about the missing of the
Princess. He announced that any person helping to find out the princess would
be rewarded properly. The royal soldiers set out announcing the matter.
Attempt a brief announcement in three or four sentences.
Score: 4
Time: 7 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
24
Question IV
Competencies:
Prepares announcements
Makes use of the features of an announcement
In connection with the Annual Day celebrations of your school, the one-act
play,' The Princess on the Road' is staged. You are asked to introduce the play
briefly describing the theme, the setting and the characters. Prepare the
announcement you are likely to make in about 60 words.
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Question V
Competencies:
Describes a place
Makes use of the features of a description
The Princess in the play 'The Princess on the Road' sets out on an adventure
trip and reaches the street of a village. Attempt a description of the street in
about 60 words incorporating the details given below.
a cross on three steps in the middle of the street, to the left a pond
with some ducks, to the right a few cottages surrounded with
gardens, flowers hanging out from the cottage gardens
Score: 5
Time: 10 minutes
Question VI
Competencies:
Prepares conversation relevant to the context
Makes use of the features of a conversation
The Princess reaches safely back at the palace. Florimund is eager to know
where she has been. Attempt the likely conversation between the Princess and
Florimund. Write at least 6 exchanges.
Score: 6
Time: 10 minutes
Question VII
Competencies:
Compares characters
Makes use of the features of a description
The unit 'Breaking Barriers' highlights two strong women -the Princess in 'The
Princess on the Road' and the daughter in 'The Only Daughter'. Prepare a brief
Questions - English Standard IX
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description in about 60 words justifying the significance of the title ‘Breaking
Barriers’ on the basis of the portrayal of the two women.
Score: 5
Time: 10 minutes
Question VIII
Analyses literary pieces and expresses ideas
Makes use of the features of a write-up
'The spirit of adventure and creativity can do wonders in one's life and leave a
lasting impact'. Prepare a brief write-up in about 60 words analysing the
statement in the light of your reading 'The Princess on the Road' and 'The Only
Daughter'.
Competencies:
Score: 5
Time: 10 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
26
5. Intrepreting Data
Question I
Competencies:
Analyses and interprets the given data
Here is a pie diagram which shows the rainfall in Kerala during 2010. Study
it and answer the questions that follow.
Rainfall in cms
November &
December, 26
January &
February, 25
March &
April, 23
September &
October, 33
July &
August, 45
May &
June, 33
1. Maximum rainfall was recorded in the months of ___________________ .
2. Name the months which recorded the same quantity of rainfall.
3. Identify the months which recorded minimum rainfall.
4. What is the quantity of rainfall during November and December?
5. Why is rainfall less in the months of March and April?
Score: 5
Time: 6 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Analyses and interprets the given data
Study the table and answer the questions that follow.
Source of water in Karakulam Panchayat 1987 - 2004 (%)
Source
1987
1996
2004
Own well
63.8
65.1
51.5
Ponds
3.6
4.2
2.8
Public taps
18.5
15.5
11.4
Other sources
14.1
15.2
24.3
Questions - English Standard IX
27
1. Which source of water does most people depend on?
2. In which year did the public depend on the public taps the least?
3. Which source of water does the people least depend on?
4. What trend can you notice in the percentage of the users of other sources of
water?
5. What may be the reason why the public depend least on pond water?
Score: 5
Time: 6 minutes
Question III
Analyses and interprets the given data
Competencies:
Read the following passage carefully and complete the chart.
Living Organisms
Living organisms can be classified into two categories; plants and
animals. The plants can again be divided into two categories; flowering
and non-flowering. In the case of animals the criterion for division is
different. Animals having backbone are called vertebrates and those
without backbone are called invertebrates. Flowering plants are further
classified into land plants and water plants on the basis of their habitats,
the place where they live. Vertebrates are divided into two: egg laying
and mammals. We, human beings are mammals but birds are egg
laying.
Living Organisms
a
b
d
animals
non flowering
water
egg laying
c
invertebrates
e
Score: 5
Time: 6 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
28
6. Using Language Elements
Question I
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Supply the missing word in the following passage choosing the right ones
from the box below.
The little boy had a policeman /(a) a friend.
One day, he ran /(b) of the schoolyard
/(c) go home for his lunch, tripped over
a rough spot /(d) the sidewalk, and he fell
on /(e) road amid heavy traffic. The policeman
on duty ran to the spot/(f) saved the boy.
to, the, by, out, for, from, and, on
Score: 6
Time: 9 minutes
Question II
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with correct form of the words
given in brackets.
I thought my examination will be ______a________. But only yesterday I
realised that there was no change in the timetable. I _______b_______ my friend
to inform this. He told me that he could not _______c_______ the books at all
and was not ready to write the examination. I decided not to _______d_______
this time.
( go through, put off, give in, call on)
Score: 4
Time: 6 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
29
Question III
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Gopi, the character in the short story 'The Tattered Blanket', is living in
Delhi with his wife and children. Imagine that you meet him on one of his
visits to Kerala. Ask him five questions using the following question words.
1. When _______________________________________
2. Where _______________________________________
3. What _______________________________________
4. How long _______________________________________
5. How often _______________________________________
Score: 5
Time: 7 minutes
Question IV
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Complete the following sentences using the appropriate words from the
ones given in brackets.
(who, where, which, when, whose)
1. Do you need any of the bags ___________ are displayed here?
2. The boy ___________ broke the glasses is waiting to see you.
3. Are there anyone ___________ name I left out?
4. Susan likes this hotel ___________ she gets good vegetable dishes.
5. She forgot the occasion ___________ we last met.
Score: 5
Time: 7 minutes
Question V
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Look at the sentence given below.
He entered the hall singing a song.
The sentence can also be written as, ‘Singing a song he entered the hall’.
Questions - English Standard IX
30
Now, rewrite the sentences below as shown above without changing their
meanings.
1. He jumped out of the room shouting loudly.
2. She walked away waving her hands.
3. Calling out her son's name the mother ran to the building on fire.
Score: 3
Time: 5 minutes
Question VI
Competencies:
Edits and refines a losely written passage
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Edit the following passage.
(b)
(a)
I see my friend Arun yesterday. He and his wife was going to attend a family
(c)
meeting. Once in every six months all the members of his family meets like
(d)
this. He told me that it is really a nice time for them all, especially for the kids
(e)
in the family. They invited I to the meeting but I politely refused to intrude
into the happy family meeting.
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Question VII
Competencies:
Edits and refines a losely written passage
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Edit the following passage
(a)
He was a little late for the afternoon classes, but he goes boldly into the
(b)
classroom with his bandaged knees. The knees are their own apology, and the
(c)
(d)
teacher nodds to him and went on with the lesson. He was disappoint that she
(e)
does not ask him any questions, so that he could tell her of his peril and of his
friend.
Score: 5
Time: 8 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
31
Question VIII
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Complete the following conversation suitably.
Aruna: Hi Maya! It's long time since we met.
Maya: Yes, it's almost two months now,_____a_____?
Aruna: I think it's more than that. By the by, __________b__________?
Maya: Usual shopping round. And you?
Aruna: To consult a doctor.
Maya: _____________c______________?
Aruna: Shoulder pain.
Maya: _____________d______________?
Aruna: For two weeks now.
Maya: You have to be careful dear.
Aruna: I am so weak these days _____________e______________
Maya: Any way, let's go to the doctor together,______f______?
Aruna: Sure, you are so kind to me. Come. Let's go.
Score: 6
Time: 12 minutes
Question IX
Competencies:
Uses language elements relevant to the context
Complete the following conversation suitably.
Shaji: Hello Tinu! _____________a______________?
Tinu: To attend the practice match.
Shaji: You're expecting selection to the district team this year, ______b______?
Tinu: Most probably I'll be selected.
Shaji: _____________c______________?
Tinu: I've been practicing under this coach for the last six months.
Shaji: You have to perform so well that _____________d______________
Tinu: Definitely! You are not coming with me for the match, _____e_____?
Shaji: No dear, I'm a bit busy. Wish you all the best.
Tinu: _____________f______________
Score: 6
Time: 12 minutes
Questions - English Standard IX
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