CBSE

Sample Paper-02
English Communicative
Class – IX

Time allowed: 3 hours Maximum Marks: 70

General Instructions:
(i) The Question paper is divided into three sections:
Section A – Reading 20 marks
Section B – Writing and Grammar 25 marks
Section C – Literature 25 marks
(ii) All questions are compulsory.
(iii) You may attempt any section at a time.
(iv) All questions of that particular section must be attempted in the correct order.

SECTION A
(Reading 20 marks)

1. A. Read the passage given below: (5)

Somewhere in Siberia 40 million years ago the sabre-toothed tiger flourished. It became
extinct only about 10,000 years ago and its descendants, the true tigers began to extend their
range, moving southward in search of more suitable habitats as successive phases of the Ice
Age made Northern Asia uninhabitable.
Today, deep in the snows of the Soviet Far East, 200 tigers still roam and a few thousand of its
relatives patrol surviving pockets of forest from India to Indonesia. Wherever the tiger lived,
it exercised a deep and lasting effect on indigenous people, who traditionally revered it as a
god and protector of the forest and co-existed with it in an atmosphere of mutual harmony
and respect.
But western civilisation has taken its toll on the tiger. Thousands were shot for sports and
much of their habitat has been destroyed to make way for the demands of industry and
increasing populations. The tiger has now reached a crisis. It faces extinction if we do not
recognize that recent conservation efforts have failed and that the future of the tiger lies in
the hands of the people whose land it shares.

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Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) When did Sabre-toothed tiger flourish?
(ii) In the past what was the tiger revered as?
(iii) Why is the tiger population becoming extinct?
(iv) Where does the future of tigers lie?
(v) What is the meaning of the phrase ‘has taken its toll’?

1. B. Read the passage given below: (5)

When my father laughs, it is not only our home that reverberates but the adjacent houses
feel the ripples as well. He loves to laugh - only now, at a ripe old age. In our younger days
we hardly remember seeing or hearing him laugh. He may have laughed in the company of
his friends, but not at home. My father, a professor of English, had ‘rigid, cold eyes’, His eyes
never flickered, penetrating deep into the person in front, if he happened to be the target,
enough to upset him from his seat. And they were cold not from an absence of warmth, but
like steel that had been tempered. Of course, it was not for us to question why his eyes were
cold or why he rarely laughed at home. Ours was to accept his authority in order to live.
Every morning, we would try to gauge father’s mood from the movement of his eyes or the
few words he spoke. If his voice didn’t have a rough edge, we would breathe and move
around a bit freely. On the other hand, when his throat produced grunts and rumbles, we
knew we had it for the day. The most difficult situation was when he was silent. Unable to
read him, we would be on the horns of a dilemma: Was it fine to go for a football match? Or,
would that invite a fine of two slaps, if not three penalty kicks?
My father’s moods were like Chennai’s climate - hot, hotter, hottest. Yet, like millions of
Madrasis who have not only survived their city’s climate but have also grown to love it, we
came to love our father the way he was.
He kept us on a tight leash with his stern countenance, fearing that we would go astray if
given any liberties. Discipline was his motto, perhaps inherited from his own English
professors. For that, I am grateful to him.
At the end of the day, he exudes a quiet smile of satisfaction at having reared a brood of
worthy citizens, if not exactly highly ‘valuable' ones. Freed now from the burden of bringing
up children, my father has dispensed with his rigid, cold facade. And he laughs a lot. He has
to unload all those cans of laughter in him that had their lids screwed on for so long. So, it’s
not strange that my children refuse to believe that their grandfather and laughter were ever
strangers.

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Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) What was a rare sight for the author in his childhood?
(ii) To which thing the author compares his father’s eye?
(iii) What is the meaning of the expression ‘to be on the horns of a dilemma’?
(iv) Why was the author grateful to his father?
(v) Why does the father laugh a lot?

2.OTBA(10)
Ans. (i) Siberia.
(ii) A god and protector of the forest.
(iii) Tiger population is becoming extinct due to shooting tigers for sports, making way for
the demands of industry and failure of recent conservation efforts.
(iv) In the hands of the people.
(v) Has caused a lot of damage.

2. (i) When his father laughed

(ii) Steel that has been tampered
(iii) To be confused
(iv) For having disciplined him
(v) He is free from the burden of bringing up children.

SECTION B
(Writing and Grammar 25 marks)

3. You are moved to see the future of a nation, children picking up rags and roaming
about streets, etc. Write an article with a suitable title in about 120-150 words. Take
ideas from the Unit ‘Children’ in MCB. (5)
Ans. India’s Future is in Darkness
The rag pickers of India present a pitiable sight. It is poverty that forces them to resort to rag
picking. Day in and day out they may be seen on the roads, the lanes and the bylanes of a city
or town looking for cast-off clothes or something else showy or shoddy that will sell. More
often than not, it is children who take to rag picking. But some young men and women are
also forced to take up the shady trade to make both ends meet. Why should innocent
children who should be at school at this age do this filthy job? It is because their parents are
often too poor to support them. So they neglect them and abandon them to face the cruel

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world on their own.
These people roam about streets and bazaars picking up from the dust-bins any waste –
worn out or torn and tattered clothes and they don’t hesitate to search for rags even in evil
smelling garbage or sewage or cess pools. They carry bags on their backs and store their
fuels in them. Very often the individuals divide a city into zones and each zone is allotted to a
particular group by mutual consent. The intrusion of one group into another zone is resented
and sometimes even results into fights.
Very often young men who take to rag picking are the ones who come from villages to cities
in search of jobs and take to rag picking out of sheer helplessness and desperation.

4. Complete the following story in 150-200 words in any suitable way making it
interesting. Also give it a suitable and meaningful title.(10)
“Yesterday, I was going to school. On the way, I saw a child in the middle of the road. A
car was coming at full speed.”
Ans. A Brave Act
Yesterday, I was going to school. On the way, I saw a child in the middle of the road. A car
was coming at full speed. I realized the danger to the child. In a split second I jumped into
the road to save the child. The next moment there was darkness before my eyes.
When I regained my senses I found myself on the bed in a hospital. Mother and Father were
standing anxiously beside my bed. When I opened my eyes, my first question was, “Is the
child dead or alive?” Mother, in tears, said, ‘Yes, yes, dear, the child is safe. How do you feel
now?”
“I am okay, fine. What happened?”
You were slightly hit by the car, but thank God, you were not harmed much. You received
only a few injuries. God is great,” Father said in a low tone.
After a week I was back home. The parents of Ritu – the child whom I had saved had visited
me. They were all praise for my bravery and expressed their gratitude to me, and blessed
me.
My joy knew no bounds when I learnt that I had been nominated for the President’s
gallantry award. My parents were delighted. My teachers patted me.
“Am I really brave?” – the question haunts me when I am alone.

5. Complete the following passage by choosing the correct word from the given options.
(3)

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Since the beginning of human existence, people (i) ______ over the world have expressed
their emotions and ideas (ii) ______ the medium of dance. The word ‘folk’ means people.
Folk dances express the moods and feelings of (iii) ______ common people. Different
regions (iv) ______ India have their own dances, (v) ______dance is accompanied by music
and songs of the region to (vi) ______ it belongs.
(i) (a) all (b) whole(c) much(d) more
(ii) (a) in(b) into(c) through(d) of
(iii) (a) the(b) a(c) an(d) some
(iv) (a) at(b) of(c) for(d) from
(v) (a) Each(b) All(c) Whole(d) Many
(vi) (a) what(b) which(c) who(d) whose
Ans. (a) all
(b) into
(c) the
(d) of
(e) Each
(f) which

6.The following passages have not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write
the incorrect word and the correction as shown in the example against the correct
blank number. Remember to underline the correct word. The first one has been done
for you as an example.(4)
Incorrect / Correct
The wait have ended, and a new legend has (a)____________________
been born. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his intrepid
warriors now stand atop the pedestal(b) ____________________
hitherto occupy only by Kapil’s Devils,(c) ____________________
and India has became only the third country (d) ____________________
after Australia and the West Indies to win the World Cup more than once
Ans. (a) have – has
(b) the – a
(c) occupy – occupied
(d) became – become

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7. Rearrange the following jumbled words to form meaningful sentences. (3)
(a) I /read /paper /in /the /burglar /been /caught /had /the /that
(b) nightfall /began /cricketers /the /at /their /piercing /calls
(c) wore /a hat /he /of /coconut /made /fiber /his /on / head
Ans. (a) I read in the paper that the burglar had been caught
(b) The cricketers began their piercing calls at nightfall
(c) He wore a hat on his head made of coconut fiber

SECTION C
(Literature 25 marks)

8. Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow: (3)
“The spectacled child considered the point for a moment gravely. Then, nodding, he
arranged his books in readiness for his return and went out. The front door closed with
a decorous softness.”
(i) Who is the spectacled child referred to in the above lines?
(ii) Which point was the spectacled child asked to consider?

(iii) What does 66Decorous softness” mean?

Ans.(i) Harold Bramble is the spectacled child referred to in the above lines.
(ii) The point that he was asked to consider was that he should go out for a walk.
(iii) It means polite gentleness.

9. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each. (8)

(i) Why was Corporal Turnbull the hero of all the soldiers?
(ii) How would life in school have been different for Harold had he known that his
father was “Young Porky”?
(iii) What was John A Pescud’s opinion about bestsellers?
(iv) Mention two signs of degeneration that takes place in the sixth stage of life
according to Shakespeare’s view of life?
Ans. (i) Corporal Turnbull was a smart young man. He could not be trifled with. He was
considered to be so tough that one could hammer nails into him without his noticing it. He
was just a hero for all the soldiers.
(ii) The fellows of Harold in school wouldn’t call him ‘Goggles’ if they had known that Harold
was the son of ‘Young Porky’.

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(iii) Pescud is highly critical of bestsellers like The Rose Lady and Trevelyan. He considers
these stories far from reality. They are sentimental and over romantic. All bestsellers are
alike, containing love stories only.
(iv) The sixth stage is the age of slippered pantaloons, the calf muscles shrink and go weak.
The man’s skin is loose and he is weak and frail.

10. Mr. Jerry Fisher turned out to be revengeful. Why and how? (4)
Or
Shakespeare has beautifully delineated every hue and colour of man’s personality in
the poem “The Seven Ages”. Discuss with examples from the poem.
Ans. Mr. Jerry Fisher was Bill Bramble’s trainer. When he came to know that Bill was not
going to fight against Murphy, he became angry. It was a matter of his respect. He wanted to
ensure that Bill takes up the challenge. He came to Bill’s house and tried to convince him in
every possible way but he could not. Suddenly then, Harold reached and there was a glitter
of revenge in Mr. Fisher’s eyes. He turned out to be revengeful and told Harold everything
about his father’s profession.
Or
William Shakespeare, the prince of poets and king of dramatists, has truly delineated every
hue and colour of man’s personality in the poem, “The Seven Ages”. The poet compares
human life to a play or a drama in which the world is the stage and human beings are the
cast of actors who have to perform different roles as they make their journey through life-
from birth to death. In this journey of life, man begins as an infant-helpless and crying-in the
arms of a nurse. As he grows up, he plays the role of a school-going child, then a young,
ardent lover and a proud soldier. As years pass, he matures in judgement and becomes
sober. Then old age comes and man is without teeth and energy. So that it can be called
man’s second childishness. Thus, ends the eventful history of life and man departs from the
stage of life after living the seven colours of his life.

11.A. Explain the great academy of projectors’ Lagado. (10)

Or
Pedro De Mendez emerges as one of the most attractive characters of the book.
Comment.
Ans. A. Munodi told him that a group of people who had gone to Laputa came back with
some knowledge of mathematics. They shared their new views and ideas about the arts,

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science, language and mechanics. They created a great academy of projectors in Lagado. In
these colleges, professors dreamed of new rules and methods of farming and building
instruments and tools for all trades. They hoped a single man would do the work of ten. A
palace could be built in a week. Tools and instruments would need no repair. Fruits would
ripen when people wished it.
Unfortunately, none of these projects had actually worked yet. The country lay wasted, the
houses were in ruins and the people were without food and clothes. Still the farmers were
determined to promote their mad schemes.
Schemes introduced were impractical and the country and the people had to suffer. These
schemes were not based on realities. The very flying island, a mechanical device, meant
desertion of the common earth of reality. The professors wanted to convert life and living to
a mechanical process and the result was disastrous.
Or
Pedro De Mendez was a courteous and generous person. He rescued Gulliver and treated
him with great patience, and tenderness. He allowed Gulliver to travel on his ship as far as
Lisbon. He spoke to him gently and requested him to narrate his experiences. He offered his
finest suit of clothes to replace Gulliver’s ragged and tattered clothes.
Don Pedro was not judgemental. Though Gulliver was rude and unreasonable, the captain
tried to change his behaviour in a persuasive manner. Very slowly he transformed a silent
and sullen Gulliver into a communicative person. He offered him good food, wine and a
clean cabin to sleep in. When Gulliver tried to jump into the sea, he persuaded him not to
repeat the act. Don Pedro showed the same kind of generosity and understanding that
Gulliver’s Houyhnhnm master had shown earlier. Yet Gulliver considered him repulsive.
Guliver was unable to escape from his delusions.
Don Pedro is a minor character but plays an important symbolic role. He is the touchstone
through which we see that Gulliver was no longer a reliable and objective commentator of
reality.

Or
11. B. Describe the contribution made by Montmorency to the degree of humour
contained in the novel, “Three Men in a Boat.”(10)
Or
The three friends decide to go for a swim in the river. Why does the plan change in the
morning? How does the author become a hero?

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Ans. B. Montmorency was a fictional character in the novel “Three Men in a Boat.” Jerome K
Jerome had given Montmorency a particular role in the present novel. He was a dog and the
narrator had proved that even the animal has a sense of humour. Obviously, he had
enhanced the degree of humour in the present novel. There were several instances which
show that Montmorency had contributed greatly in this direction. When Harris and George
were busy packing, Montmorency used to damp things with his wet nose. Besides, he jumped
into the hamper and damaged three lemons. These acts of Montmorency were really funny.
The readers are bound to laugh at him. Moreover, when George was cooking an Irish dish, he
had rather cooked an unbeatable dish. Montmorency went somewhere and brought a dead
water rat in his mouth. Certainly, Montmorency wanted to show his great sense of humour.
Therefore, we should count him as the fourth character on the present novel, “Three Men in
a Boat”.
Or
The three friends - Harris, George and the narrator (author) - decided to go for a swim in the
river in the morning. When morning came it was very cold. No one could dare to go for a
swim. The narrator was also unwilling but somehow he went to the river. He tried to have a
dip into the water by holding on to a branch of a tree that dipped down into the water. He
wanted to show that he was not timid. But the branch gave way and the narrator fell into the
water which was very cold.
He came out and put up a brave face. He told his friends that he enjoyed the swim and
wanted them to have a dip into the water. But no one was ready to take a chance. They let
him become a hero if he so wished. Later, he put his shirt in a hurry and somehow put it into
the water. George laughed at it. The narrator lost his cool but then he realized that it was not
his but George’s shirt. When he pointed it to George, George got furious. The narrator could
not help laughing.

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