Sample Question Paper No.3 for Class-XII, English (Group-B), WBCHSE

Time: 3 Hours 15 Minutes                                                    Full Marks: 100

   1. Complete each of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternatives given :  1x4=4 
     i. The title which was conferred on Ram Saran was – a) Rai Bahadur, b) Rai Sahib, c) Knighthood. 
        ii. The pride of Malgudi was – a) River Sarayu, b) Ellaman Street, c) Town Hal
       iii. The patient wanted to postpone the immediate shave for – a) three days, b) a week, c) a day or so more. 
     iv.The environmental base in Kalahandi is – a) hill, b) desert, c) forest.

   2.  Answer any two of the questions which follow (each in about 30 words): 3x2=6 
        i.Why did the shoeshine boy refuse to polish the patient’s shoe ? 
       ii.“...the real business of the day started...”—What was the real business of the day ? Why is the business called the real business ? 
    iii.“There were vague rumours ...”–About whom were these ‘rumours’ ? What were the ‘rumours’ ? 
       iv.  What is meant by ‘per capita’ income? How does it affect the environment?

   
    3. Answer any one of the questions that follow (in about 50 words): 5x1=5 
        i.Why, according to Dr. Follicle, snipping the hair around the ears is a delicate job ? 
      ii.“One of my first undertakings, when I had ...” – What was the undertaking referred to ? How was it materialised ?
    iii.How did Rajam appear to be a new menace in Mani’s life ? 
    iv.What is meant by ‘sustainable development’? How does the present trend of environmental decline affect it?

   4.      Which of the following statements are True and which are False?  1x4=4 
        i.The moon rises in the dark and gloomy western sky.
    ii.The child in the poem “Nature” is not comforted by promises. 
    iii.Rabindranath prays for nothing but political freedom in “Where the Mind is Without Fear”. 
    iv.The young soldier in the poem “Futility” was originally a peasant.

   5.      Answer any two of the questions which follow in about 30 words: 3x2=6 
    i.“Art thou pale for weariness ?” – What, according to the poet, is the cause of the moon’s weariness ? 
     ii. How does the little child in Longfellow’s “Nature” behave, when his mother draws him away from play at the end of the day ? 
       iii.“To break earth’s sleep at all?” – What does the poet mean by ‘earth’s sleep’? 
      iv.“Where the head is held high.” – What does the poet mean to say in this line ?

  
    6.      Answer any one of the questions that follow in about 50 words: 5x1=5 
    i.What, according to Tagore, are the qualities of mind required for attaining true freedom? 
    ii.“The moon arose up in the murky east.” – How does Shelley describe the rising of the moon in his poem The Moon ? 
    iii.Show how Longfellow compares Nature to a loving mother in the poem Nature. 
    iv.What is the poet’s attitude to war in the poem”Futility’?

7. Complete any four of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct 
answer from the alternatives given : 1x4=4

i) “You are incorrigible.”—Here ‘you’ refers to –a) the Bishop b) the Convict c) Marie.

ii) “He evidently desires it.” –Here ‘it’ refers to –a) supper b) Persome’s company c) Bishop’s
company.
iii) Three basic principles of Christianity are -- a) Prayer, Meditation and Charity b) Hope,
Charity and work c) Faith, Hope and Charity.

iv)“I set too great store by them.”—By ‘them’ the speaker refers to – a) the Bishop’s
furniture b) salt-sellers c) silver candlesticks.

v) “…this gentleman is my very good friend.” –This is said to –a) the Convict b) the sergeant
c) Persome.

vi) “Remember my son that she is holy.”—Here ‘she’ refers to—a) Marie’s mother b) Virgin
Mary c) the Bishop’s mother.

vii) “Were it not for my little dot, we should starve…”—Here the word ‘dot’ means –a) a
woman’s marriage portion(dowry) b) a large sum of money c) property.

viii) “Ah, how nice and warm it is in here!”—Here the speaker is—a) Persome b) the
Sergeant of Gendarmes c) Bishop. 

8. Answer any two of the questions which follow (each in about 30 words) : 3x2=6

i) “I have a wolf inside me tearing at my entrails.” – What does the speaker mean here?

ii)“Well for my part, I believe that charity begins at home.”--What does the speaker suggest
by these words?

iii)“If people lie to me they are poorer, not I.”—What attitude of the speaker is revealed
here?

iv) “One must do a great deal for the Devil, in order to do a little for God.”—Explain.

v) “That is why they are left open.”—What are left open and why? 

9. Answer any one of the questions which follow (each in about 50 words) : 5x1=5

i) Describe the Convict’s inner conflict before he steals the candlesticks.

ii) “While Persome seems to us to be a worldly wise woman, her brother the Bishop seems to
be an extraordinary kind man of deep faith.”—Contrast the Bishop’s character with that of
Persome.

iii) “Look here, I was a man once.”—Who is the speaker here? How was his life before he was
sent to prison?

10. A) Rewrite the following sentences as directed, without changing their
meaning: 2x5=10

i) We at Mokameh Ghat observed no Hindu or Mohammedan holidays. (Turn into passive
voice)

ii)“Miss Smith,” he said to the entering secretary,”please fill out a card for this gentleman for
the Shaving Room.” (Change the mode of narration)

iii) Rajam shouldered his gun and fired a shot in the air. (Change into a complex sentence)

iv) Gently its touch awoke him once. (Use ‘gentle’)

v) I led him into temptation. (Use ‘tempted’) 

B) Fill in the numbered blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions: 3
__(i)___ people whose lives are impoverished and shattered __(ii)__ this way are often
among __(iii)__ poorest __(iv)__ the society, __(v)__ street vendors __(vi)__ pavement
dwellers. 

C) Frame a question with the following wh-word in such a way that the answer
matches the given content: 1x2=2 
i) Who:
Content: So Nature takes away our playthings one by one.
ii) Why:
Content: The idea originated with Ram Saran. He had few opportunities for education.

11. a) Write a letter within 120 words to the Editor of an English daily
expressing your fear and concern for the growing cases of violence against
women in our country. 10

OR

b) Write a letter to your friend within 120 words describing your aim in life.  10 

12. a). Write a report in about 150 words on the flood-triggered landslide in
Kedarnath, Uttarakhand on the following points: 10

[A devastating flood-triggered landslide in Kedarnath – thousands of pilgrims stranded
--Flash flood of Mandakini made the situation grave – army, local people and Government
helped – packets of dry food sent – mobile medical team and other facilities provided –
situation limping to normal.]

OR

b) Write a summary in about 100 words of the passage given below:  10

  As daylight can be seen through very small holes, so little things will illustrate a person’s
character. Indeed character consists in little acts, well and honourably performed in our daily
life. One of the marked tests of character is the manner in which we conduct ourselves
towards others. A graceful behaviour towards superiors, inferiors and equals is a constant
source of pleasure. It pleases others because it indicates respect for their personality; but it
gives tenfold pleasure to ourselves. Every man may, to a great extent, be a self-educator in
good behaviour, as in everything else. He can be civil and kind, if he wills, though he may not
have a penny in his purse. Even a kind look will give pleasure and confer happiness.
Gentleness in society is like a silent influence of light which gives colour to all nature. It is
more powerful than the application of force and more fruitful than that.

    13. Read the following passage: 
      It was a dark autumn night. The old banker was walking up and down his study and remembering how, fifteen years before, he had given a party one autumn evening. There had been many clever men, and there had been interesting conversations. Among other things they had talked of capital punishment. The majority of the guests disapproved of the death penalty. They considered that form of death out of date, immoral, and unsuitable for Christian States. In the opinion of some of the guests, the death penalty ought to be replaced everywhere by imprisonment for life.
      “I don’t agree with you,” said their host, the banker. “The death penalty is more moral and more humane than imprisonment for life. Capital punishment kills a man at once, but lifelong imprisonment kills him slowly. Which executioner is the more humane, he who kills you in a few minutes or he who drags the life out of you in the course of many years?”
     “Both are equally immoral” observed one of the guests, “for they both have the same object – take away life. The Sate is not God. It has not the right to take away what it cannot restore when it wants to.”
     Among the guests was a young lawyer, a young man of about five-and-twenty. When he was asked his opinion, he said:
    “The death penalty and life sentence are equally immoral, but I had to choose between the death penalty and imprisonment for life, I would certainly choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not live at all.”
     A lively discussion arose. The banker, who was younger and more nervous in those days, was suddenly carried away by excitement. He struck the table with his fist and shouted at the young man:
    “It’s not true! I’ll bet you two millions you wouldn’t stay in solitary confinement for five years.”
    “If you mean that in earnest,” said the young man, “I’ll take a bet, but I would stay not five but fifteen years.”
    “Fifteen? Done!” cried the banker. “Gentlemen, I stake two millions.”
    “Agreed! You stake your millions and I stake my freedom!” said the young man.
    And this wild, senseless bet was carried out!        [Adapted from The Bet by Anton Chekhov] 

    A)     Complete each of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternatives given:   1x7=7 
   i)The banker had given a party – a) a decade ago b) a score of years ago c) fifteen years ago. 
   ii)Most of the guests did not approve of the – a) death penalty b) lifelong imprisonment c) betting. 
   iii)The majority of the guests regarded death penalty as – a) a must b) a civilised form of punishment c) out of date. 
   iv) The word ‘humane’ means – a) related to man b) forgiving c) kind or gentle. 
   v) “The death penalty and life sentence are equally immoral.” Here the word ‘sentence’ means – a) a group of words having a complete sense b) punishment c) proposal. 
   vi)The banker struck the table with his fist because he was – a) excited at the prospect of the bet b) fond of showing his physical strength c) overjoyed at staking two millions in the bet. 
    vii) The idiom ‘in earnest’ as used in the passage means – a) eagerly b) honestly c) seriously. 

    B) Answer the questions which follow (each in about 20 words): 2x4=8 
   i)What did most of the guests think of death penalty? 
   ii)What did one of the guests observe? 
   iii)What was the banker’s attitude about death penalty? 
   iv)Why did the banker prefer death penalty to imprisonment for life? 

    C) Rearrange the following sentences in their proper order: 5 
      i)Hearing this, the banker struck the table with his fist and shouted. 
   ii)Someone asked a young lawyer about his view on the subject of death penalty and imprisonment for life.
   iii)   He staked two millions in a bet saying that he would not be able to stay in solitary confinement for five years. 
     iv)The young man accepted the bet adding that he would stay for fifteen years. 
     v)The young man replied that he preferred imprisonment for life to death penalty.

Model Question Paper No.1 for Class-XI Annual Exam, English (Group-B), New Syllabus, WBCHSE

Class - XI

 ENGLISH

(Group  B)

Time : 2 Hours 36 Minutes]                                            [Full Marks : 80

Special credit will be given for answers which are brief and to the point. Marks will be deducted for spelling mistakes, untidiness and bad handwriting. Figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions.

1. Complete each of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternatives given :    1x5=5
i) Sir Mohan Lal rarely spoke Hindustani as
   a) he wanted to show off his English
   b) he did not know the language well
   c) he had only contempt for everything Indian, including its language
   d) he believed that speaking Hindustani would lower his prestige in the eyes of Englishmen.
ii) Ultimately the lost chain was found inside
   a) Sidda's pocket
   b) a tamarind pot
   c) a shelf
   d) Leela's school bag.
iii) As a prisoner Jimmy Valentine's number was
    a) 9762
    b) 9627
    c) 9276
    d) 9672.
iv) The greatest destroyer of peace, according to Mother Teresa, is
    a) abortion
    b) adoption
    c) hunger
    d) malnutrition.
v) Art education calls for close contact with
    a) Nature
    b) artisans
    c) acrylic
    d) graphics.

2. Answer the following questions, each in a complete sentences :    1x5=5
i) Why was Sir Mohan dismayed to find the train compartment empty ?
ii) Why did Mother become surprised in the West ?
iii) What did Sidda go out to buy one evening ?
iv) Who was Annabel Adams ?
v) What are the two aspects of art education ?

3. Answer any two of the questions which follow (each in about 100 words) :   5x2=10

i) What, according to Nandalal Bose, are the ways in which students may be educated in art ?

ii) Sum up in a short paragraph Mother Teresa's experience at the old-age home where she found the inmates unhappy despite being well-provided for.

iii) List the ways in which Sidda's company makes Leela 'supremely happy', and also how Leela attempts to 'educate' him in turn.

iv) Why do you think the story by Khushwant Singh is entitled "Karma" ?

v) How does O Henry establish a contrast between Jimmy Valentine and 'Ralph D Spencer' ?

4. Complete each of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternatives given :    1x5=5
i) The wind tells the mists to
   a) settle on the shore
   b) lift their veils to enable the mariners to steer their ships
   c) shroud the graveyard
   d) move and make way for it.
ii) The city of London is seen
   a) in the morning light
   b) at twilight
   c) at noon
   d) at midnight.
iii) The poem "Meeting at Night" is a
   a) sonnet
   b) lyric
   c) soliloquy
   d) dramatic monologue.
iv) The night when the worm comes to destroy the rose is
   a) calm and tranquil
   b) rainy
   c) chilly
   d) stormy
v) In the poem "Brotherhood", the night is
   a) enormous
   b) dark
   c) short
   d) silent

5. Answer the following questions, each in a complete sentences :    1x5=5
i) What does the poet mean by the expression 'quench its speed' ?
ii) What kind of poem is "Upon the Westminster Bridge" ?
iii) What did the wind say to the forest ?
iv) What does Blake suggest in using 'crimson' to describe the rose's bed ?
v) " ...the stars write." -- What is written in the sky ?

6. Answer any two of the questions which follow (each in about 100 words) :   5x2=10
i) How does Wordsworth describe the city of London in his poem, "Upon the Westminster Bridge" ?
ii) Describe the feelings of the lover on his journey to meet his beloved in the poem, "Meeting at Night".
iii) Do you think the title of the poem, "The Sick Rose" is appropriate ? Give reasons.
iv) "Unknowing I understand" --What does the speaker understand ? Why does he understand unknowingly ?
v) How does Longfellow personify the wind in his poem, "Daybreak" ?

7. Complete each of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternatives given :  (Attempt any five)  1x5=5
i) A cruel law was made at
  a) Syracuse
  b) Ephesus
  c) a Banquet
  d) an inn.
ii) The Abbess discovered that Adriana was in the habit of
  a) Suspecting her husband
  b) scolding her husband
  c) teasing her husband
  d) instigating her husband.
iii) When Rosalind came to know that Orlando was the son of her father's friend, she gave him
  a) a gold ring
  b) a gold coin
  c) a gold chain
  d) a gold earring.
iv) Oliver planned to murder Orlando after he won the wrestling match
  a) by burning him alive when he slept.
  b) by sprinkling poisonous juice on his clothes.
  c) by giving him poisonous food.
  d) by hiring assassins to kill him.
v) When Othello accused Desdemona of being untrue to him, she
  a) broke down and admitted her guilt.
  b) stormed out of the chamber.
  c) tried to divert his mind from serious thought.
  d) was stupefied.
vi) The first gift of Othello to Desdemona was
  a) a gold chain
  b) flowers
  c) perfume
  d) a handkerchief.
vii) The second spirit looked to Macbeth as
  a) an armed head
  b) a crowned child
  c) eight shadows of king
  d) a bloody child.
viii) Macbeth killed Duncan because
  a) the witches told him to do so.
  b) Duncan was his enemy.
  c) he wanted to be king.
  d) he wanted to take revenge on Duncan.
ix) The offence commotted by Antonio for which he was arrested was
  a) he had killed the duke's nephew.
  b) he had injured the duke's nephew.
  c) he had killed the duke.
  d) he had injured the duke.
x) Olivia showed her love for her dead brother by
  a) abjuring the sight and company of man for seven years.
  b) becoming a nun.
  c) spending all her time crying.
  d) abjuring the sight and company of men for six years.

8. Answer any one of the questions which follow (each in about 100 words) :   5x1=5

i) How did Iago plant seeds of doubt and suspicion in Othello's mind ?

ii) Describe the hallucinations seen and heard by Macbeth when he went to kill King Duncan.

iii) Describe the first meeting of Olivia and Cesario.

iv) Why did Antipholus Younger think Ephesus to be a land of sorcerers and witches ?

v) What made Rosalind and Celia opt a life of hardship in a forest leaving aside their palace life ?

9. A) Rewrite the sentences according to the instructions given in brackets:  1x7=7

  i) The arrival of the train did not disturb Sir Mohan Lal's sang-froid. (Turn it into passive voice)

  ii) "Sir, do you want a servant?", Sidda asked Mr Sivasanker. (Turn it into indirect speech)

  iii) We should get well-qualified people to write readable books on art. (Make it complex)

  iv) And so let us meet each other with a smile. (Change into negative)

  v) After I get married, I am going to sell out and go west. (Use the noun form of 'married')

  vi) We have been created in his image. We have been created to love and be loved. (Join into a simple sentence)

  vii) Language has an important place in education, as it is the vehicle for literature, science and philosophy. ( Split into two simple sentences)

B) Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions: 0.5x6=3
  A week after _______ release ________ Valentine, 9762, there was ________ neat job ________ safe-burglary done _______ Richmond, Indiana with no clue __________ the author.

10. Answer any one of the two questions: 10
A) Write a paragraph within 150 to 200 words on "A Day You Will Never Forget":
     (Hints: Which day--what you did--why it became memorable--pleasant or unpleasant--conclusion).

OR

B) Write a story in about 150 to 200 words with the following outline:

   A frmer has a goose--lays a golden egg everyday--farmer becomes rich--his wife wants to be rich quickly--they cut open the goose--lose all fortune.

11. A college student seeks paying guest accommodation near Jadavpur University. Draft a newspaper advertisement in not more than 50 words on his/her behalf.  5

12. A mobile store is opening shortly in your locality. Prepare a commercial leaflet in not more than 50 words providing relevant information. 5

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 You may verify the above sample questions from the latest "Sample Question Set Including Question pattern", a book published by WBCHSE.

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Sample Question Paper No.2 for Class-XII, English (Group-B), WBCHSE

Time : 3 Hours 15 Minutes                                                                Full Marks : 100 
1. Complete each of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternatives given :   1x4=4 
i) “Rajam and Mani” has been taken from – a) My India, b) India: Development and Participation, c) Malgudi Days. 
ii)  Dr. Follicle’s patient finally came to the – a) shaving room, b) shoe-shining seat, c) shampoo section. 
iii) “With me was a young man.” Here the ‘young man’ refers to – a) Ram Saran, b) Crosthwaite, c) the tobacco merchant. 
iv) The growth rate of motorized vehicles in Delhi is increasing at more than – [ a) 10%, b) 15%, c) 20% ] per year.

2.  Answer any two of the questions which follow (each in about 30 words):   3x2=6 
 i.  How did Rajam impress the whole class on the very first day ? 
 ii.“In the old days of, say, twenty years ago, when a man got sick, 
he went to a doctor.” – How did a doctor in ‘the old days’ treat his patient ? 

 iii.What was the first ‘snag’ that Ram Saran’s school faced and how was it solved ? 

 iv.“There is an aspect of what may be called ‘disguised violence’…” – What do Dreze and Sen mean by ‘disguised violence’ ?

3.  Answer any one of the questions that follow (in about 50 words):    5x1=5 

 i.“Swaminathan felt at perfect peace with the world.” – Who was Swaminathan ? Why did he feel perfect peace with the world ? 

 ii.What is Corbett’s observation on labour unrest, strikes and communal disorders in modern day India ? 

 iii.Who was Dr. Follicle ? How did he examine the patient ? What was his diagnosis ? 

 iv.Show how environmental decline tells upon the basic requirements of sustainable development.

4. Which of the following statements are True and which are False?    1x4=4 

 i.In the first section of “The Moon”, the poet compares the moon to a healthy young lady. 

 ii.The ‘playthings’ has been mentioned allegorically in the poem “Nature”. 

 iii.“Move him into the sun…” – Here ‘him’ refers to the dead soldier. 

 iv.The word ‘where’ in “Where the Mind is Without Fear” refers to the heaven of freedom.

5.  Answer any two of the questions which follow in about 30 words:    3x2=6 

 i.What is the moon compared to in the first section of Shelley’s poem ? 

 ii.“Nor wholly reassured and comforted” – Why is the child not wholly ‘reassured’ and ‘comforted’ ? 

 iii.“At home, whispering of fields unsown,” – What is suggested by the expression ‘fields unsown’ ? 

 iv.“Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection.” – What does the poet mean to say in this line ?

6.  Answer any one of the questions that follow in about 50 words:   5x1=5 

 i.What does Tagore mean by ‘narrow domestic walls’ ? How do they break up the world into fragments ? 

 ii.What, according to Longfellow, are the feelings of the child being led away to bed ? 

 iii.Describe how Shelley has personified natural phenomenon in the poem The Moon. 

 iv.“O what made fatuous sunbeams toil/ To break earth’s sleep at all ?” – Explain briefly why the sunbeams are called ‘fatuous’.

7.Complete any four of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternatives given :  1x4=4 

i.The word ‘nincompoop’ means – a) silly fool, b) a beautiful lady, c) a witch.

ii.The ‘old witch’ refers to – a) Marie, b) Marie’s mother, c) Mere Gringoire. 

iii.The word ‘bailiff’ means a – a) landlord, b) constable, c) landlord’s agent. 

iv.“… they have been in our family for years.” Here ‘they’ refers to the – a) silver spoons, b) silver salt-cellars, c) silver candlesticks. 

 v.The Convict entered the Bishop’s cottage at around – a) 1 am, b) 12 o’clock at night, c) 1pm. 

 vi.‘He evidently desires it.’ Here ‘it’ refers to – a) supper, b) Persome’s company, c) the Bishop’s company.

vii.“Remember, my son, that she is holy.” Here ‘she’ refers to – a) the Convict’s wife, Persome, c) Virgin Mary. 

viii.“… it’s a queer thing to ask…” Here the ‘queer thing to ask’ is – a) the Bishop’s blessing, b) the candlesticks, c) food. 

8. Answer any two of the questions which follow (each in about 30 words) :   3x2=6 

 i.“If people lie to me, they are poorer, not I.” – Who is the speaker ? What does the speaker mean by these words ? 

 ii.“Ah ! I’m a fool, a child to cry …” – When and why does the speaker cry ? 

 iii.Who is Marie ? Give an example of the Bishop’s kindness to her. 

 iv.What is the parting advice of the Bishop to the Convict ? 
v. Why did the Bishop sell the silver salt-cellars ?

9.  Answer any one of the questions which follow (each in about 50 words) :  5x1=5 

 i.What role does the candlesticks play in “The Bishop’s Candlesticks” ? 

 ii.“Well, for my part I believe that charity begins at home.” – What does the speaker want to mean here ?

iii.Briefly describe how the Convict lived after he escaped from prison ? 

10. A) Rewrite the following sentences as directed, without changing their meaning:   2x5=10 

i.“Could it be postponed for a day or two more ?” he asked. 
ii.This Rajam was a rival to Mani. (Use the noun form of ‘rival’) 
iii.A fond mother, when the day is over, leads by the hand her little child to bed. ( Turn into a simple sentence) 
iv.They gave me a devil in its place. (Change the voice) 
v.Work at the start had been very strenuous for all of us. (Turn into exclamatory)

B)    Fill in the numbered blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions:    3
One  __i__ my first undertakings when I had __ii__ little time __iii__ myself and __iv__ few rupees __v__ my pocket, was to start a school __vi__ the sons of my workmen.
  
C) Frame a question with the following wh-word in such a way that the answer matches the given content:     1x2=2 
i)  How :
Content : Swaminathan felt at perfect peace with the world. 
ii) Whom :
Content : The Convict seized the Bishop from behind.

    11. a)Write a letter within 120 words to the Editor of an English daily about the harm that is caused to the environment by the use of plastic bags and plastic cups.  10

OR

b) Suppose your brother lives in a boarding school and reads nothing beyond his school books. Write a letter within 120 words to him advising him to read an English newspaper daily.  10

12. a)  Write a report in about 150 words on the celebration of Independence Day in your school.  10

OR

 b) Write a summary in about 100 words of the passages given below:   10

 The test of a great book is whether we want to read it only once or more than once. We want to read a really good book the second time even more than we wanted to read it the first time; and every additional time that we read it, we find new meanings and new beauties in it. A book that a person of education and good taste does not care to read more than once is very probably not worth much. But we cannot consider the judgement of a single individual as final. We may doubt such a judgement. But there is no doubt possible with regard to the judgement of generations. Even if we cannot at once perceive anything good in a book, which has been admired and praised for hundreds of years, we may be sure that by trying, by studying it carefully, we shall at last be able to feel the reason of this admiration and praise. The best of all libraries for a poor man would be a library entirely composed of such great works only, books which have passed the test of time.

   13.       Read the following passage:

The girl got up and began to collect her things. I wondered if she wore her hair in a bun, or if it was plaited, or if it hung loose over her shoulders, or if they were cut very short.

The train drew slowly into the station. Outside, there was the shouting of porters and vendors and a high-pitched female voice near the carriage door which must have belonged to the girl’s aunt.

“Good-bye,” said the girl.

There was some confusion in the doorway. A man, getting into the compartment, stammered an apology. Then the door banged shut, and the world was shut out again. I returned to my berth. The guard blew his whistle and we moved off. Once again, I had a game to play and a new fellow-traveller.

The train gathered speed, the wheels took up their song, the carriage groaned and shook. I found the window and sat in front of it, staring into the daylight that was darkness for me.

So many things were happening outside the window. It could be a fascinating game, guessing what went on out there.

The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie.

“you must be disappointed,” he said. “I’m sorry I’m not as attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left.”

“she was an interesting girl,” I said. “Can you tell me—did she keep her hair long or short?”

“I don’t remember,” he said, sounding puzzled. “It was her eyes I noticed, not her hair. She had beautiful eyes—but they were of no use to her. She was completely blind. Didn’t you notice?”                        [Adapted from The Eyes Are Not Here by Ruskin Bond]

   A) Complete each of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternative given: 1x7=7 
      i.  The high-pitched voice belonged to a – a) man b) woman c) child.  
           ii.   The girl bade good-bye to -- a) the narrator b) her aunt c) the guard. 
          iii.  The word ‘groaned’ evokes the image of – a) a hermit in meditation b) an animal in pain c) children at play.

iv. The narrator stared into the daylight which – a) looked like the light of Heaven on the earth b) was totally dark for him c) increased the pain in his eyes.

 v. The word ‘reverie’ means – a) sleep b) day-dream c) anger.

vi. The new fellow-traveller – a) thanked himself for being an agreeable companion b) appreciated the narrator’s power of observation c) regretted that he was not an attractive companion.

vii.  The narrator asked the man if the girl – a) had beautiful eyes b) kept her hair long or short c) was dressed gorgeously.

    B) Answer the questions which follow (each in about 20 words) : 2x4=8

i)  What did the narrator wonder when the girl got up to collect the things? 
 ii) What were the noises that came to the narrator in the station?

iii) What did the narrator do as the train groaned and shook?

 iv) What did the man say about the girl’s eyes?

    C) Rearrange the following sentences in their proper order:   5

  i) The girl bade good-bye.

  ii) The train drew into the station.

  iii) The door was shut with a bang.

  iv)The girl got up to collect her things.

   v) A man got into the compartment.

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