INSERT : TERM 1 EXAMINATIONS:2021-2022

CENTRE NUMBER : IN462

NAME: ___________________________ CLASS 10 A B C D E F ROLL NO.: ________

SUBJECT : ENGLISH PAPER: 1 DATE : 18-10-2021

MAX MARKS:80

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BELOW :

1. Additional Materials: Answer Booklet cum Question Paper.

2. If you have been given an Answer Booklet, follow the instructions on the front cover of the
Booklet.
3. Write your roll number and name on all the work you hand in.
4. Dictionaries are not permitted.
5. This document consists of 6 pages. ( 6 printed + 0 blank )

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Part 1

Read Text A, A Biography of Jane Austen and then answer Question 1(a-e)
on the question Paper.

It is said that Jane Austen lived a quiet life. Only a few of her manuscripts remain in
existence and the majority of her correspondence was either burned or heavily edited by
her sister, Cassandra, shortly before she died. As a result, the details that are known about
her are rare and inconsistent. [PARAGRAPH 1]

Jane Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire on December 16, 1775 and grew up in a
tight-knit family. She was the seventh of eight children, with six brothers and one sister.
[PARAGRAPH 2]

The Austens lived happily in Steventon until 1801, when her father suddenly announced he
was moving the family to Bath. Austen was unhappy with the news. At the time, Bath was
a resort town for the nearly wealthy with many gossips and social climbers. As they traveled
that summer, however, she fell in love with a young clergyman who promised to meet them
at the end of their journey. Several months later he fell ill and died.[PARAGRAPH 3]

Bath was difficult for Austen. She started but did not finish The Watsons and had a hard
time adjusting to social demands. She accepted a marriage proposal from Harris Bigg-
Wither, the son of an old family friend, but changed her mind the next day. A few years later,
in 1805, her father died, leaving Jane, Cassandra and their mother without enough money
to live comfortably. As a result, the Austen women relied on the hospitality of friends and
family until they were permanently relocated to a cottage in Chawton, Hampshire, belonging
to her brother Edward Austen-Knight. There, Austen began the most productive period of
her life, publishing several books and completing her “Second Trilogy.” [PARAGRAPH 4]

Austen began showing symptoms of illness while she worked on Persuasion, her last
completed novel. It was published with Northanger Abbey after her death. Unknown at the
time, Austen most likely suffered from Addison’s disease, whose symptoms include fever,
back pain, nausea and irregular skin pigmentation. On her deathbed, when asked by her
sister Cassandra if there was anything she required, she requested only “death itself.” She
died at the age of 41 on July 18, 1817 with her sister at her side. [PARAGRAPH 5]

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Pride and Prejudice continues to be popular today not only because of its memorable
characters and the general appeal of the story, but also because of the skill with which it is
told. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen displays a masterful use of irony, dialogue, and
realism that support the character development and heighten the experience of reading
the novel. [PARAGRAPH 6]

Part 2

Read Text B , An Interview With Much-Loved Children's Author Ruskin Bond

and then answer Question 1(f) on the Question Paper.

I did speak to Mussories' most famous gentleman when his book Uncles, Aunts and
Elephants: A Ruskin Bond Treasury hit the stands. Here are excerpts from my interview.

Q: When did you decide you would write for children?

I think I was 40 when I wrote a short novel that my publishers in England thought was too
short to be a novel for adults. But, they said it would make a great children's story if I
changed it just a bit to make it more appealing for children. It was called Angry River. So,
you see, my writing for children started off purely for practical reasons.

Q: What do children look for in a book?

Young readers want to be able to identify with the main character. They like the supporting
characters to be funny. One of my most popular characters is Uncle Ken, who is always
getting into trouble and making a fool of himself. Children love to read about an adult who
is an idiot!

Q: The beginning till the completion of a book must be quite a process. Tell us about it.

Yes, it is. The idea can come from anywhere - other people, their experiences, something I
hear or read about. Before I put pen to paper, I have the entire story written in my head.
Then, I write at a small desk near my bedroom window. I still write by hand. If it's a short
story, I am done in a day or two. Novels can take a few months. Sometimes, I write poems
on the spur of the moment.

Q: The hills are a recurring theme in your books. Why?

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Jane Austen lived in a small village in England and all her books are set there. It's the same
with RK Narayan and his beloved Malgudi. Having spent more than two-thirds of my life in
the hills, it's natural for me to base my stories on the hills.

Q: Do you think children these days read enough?

They read more than they used to, but not as much as they should.

Q: What are your thoughts on writing as a profession for children?

Once, when I was in school, I came home and my mom asked me what I wanted to be when
I grew up. I said I wanted to be a writer. She said, "Don't be silly, join the army." Back then,
unless you became famous, you didn't make money as a writer. But today, because of the
media and the Internet, writers are celebrities!

Q: We know you love writing. What are your other interests?

I used to trek a lot. Now, I take short walks in the hills. When I used to live in Delhi in the
60s, I used to walk from Connaught Place to Rajouri Garden. The best way to get to know
a city is to walk through it. But, you won't see me walking around Delhi now. I would get
knocked over by a vehicle.

Q: Everyone knows you live in Mussorie. How do you deal with fans?

Sometimes, I have to go underground. I have too many people knocking on my door

every single day. But I like a bit of a warning. I don't want people catching me in a banyan
(vest) or when I am mid-siesta.

I can get grumpy! I go to a local bookshop once a week to meet readers, though.

Q: Which role do you enjoy better? A father or a grandfather?

That of a great grandfather! Yes, I am a great grandfather now. The smaller the children,
the more appealing they are! Haha.

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Part 3

Read Text C, The lighthouse keepers and then answer Question 2 (a-d) and
Question 3 on the Question Paper.

This is the true story of the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers. Set in
the Flannan Isles in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, it tells the tale of Thomas Marshall,
James Ducat and Donald MacArthur, who were all discovered missing in December 1900.

(paragraph 1)

We were a hardened lot, the lighthouse keepers of the Flannan Isles. The Outer Hebrides
do not breed soft men; if it does, they do not live long. The storms come screaming down
from the Arctic, and we are often cut off from the world outside for weeks on end. It is
impossible to feel more alone – or so I thought until that day in December 1900 – a
propitious day, it should have been, looking to the New Year and the new century.
(paragraph 2)

I was sailing with Captain James Harvey, an experienced sailor for the Northern
Lighthouse Board, on a routine trip to replace one of the three keepers of the Eilean Mor
lighthouse. Our sailing had been delayed by a fierce storm, but the seas were calm as we
approached the landing stage. It was immediately clear that all was not well, because
there was no keeper waiting to greet me. The captain sounded his fog-horn and launched
a flare as I rowed over, somewhat concerned.(paragraph 3)

As I climbed the steep rock-cut stairs, I felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding. I could
almost smell the fear in the air. It has always been said that the island was an evil place,
and none but the keepers would spend a night there. When I reached the lighthouse, the
door was open, two oilskin coats were missing – and keeper was there none. I searched,
in increasing agitation, but there was no denying it; and the kitchen clock had stopped.
Terror gnawed at my stomach and fear gave wings to my feet. (paragraph 4)

I hastened back to the landing and the ship; the good Captain was nonplussed, and sent
two stout sailors to pass the night with me while he sought assistance. I can say that we
did not sleep easy that night. We searched every inch of that cursed island over the next
three days, but to no avail, except to note that all was not as it should be at the landing
stage – the storm had damaged the crane and loading installations, and loose ropes were

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strewn around. But of the three men with whom I had worked for years, no sign or
hint.(paragraph 5)

Mr. Robert Muirhead, the Board Superintendent, came to the island in person, and he it
was who came upon the journal which told an incomprehensible story. Starting on the
12th December, the diary told of storms fierce beyond living memory, and of keepers –
hardened men, all – in fear for their lives and weeping. The storm continued unabated,
from the diary entries, until 15th December, when the final entry stated: ‘Storm over. Sea
calm. God is over all.’ (paragraph 6)

Well, indeed He is, but what in the name of the heavens did that mean? There was no
further entry to dispel the mystery. Shortly after, all three men vanished from the island
and from this life as if they had been swept up. (paragraph 7)

But what is passing strange is that there was no storm on the 12th, or 13th, or 14th, or
15th December. The tempest which wrought such destruction upon the landing stage
started only on the 17th December. The island is clearly visible from the mainland and
nothing had been reported. (paragraph 8)

Muirhead investigated the damage to the landing stage and pronounced that the
destruction of the storm had been exceptional. Had the keepers ventured forth to attempt
the rescue of their equipment? But why, contrary to all regulation, would all three go? And
if so, why had one left his oilskin behind, in a raging winter tempest? And if the third had
not been swept away with the other two, where then was he? (paragraph 9)

Nobody was ever washed ashore. No trace was ever found. No explanation was ever
offered which I could put my hand to. It was puzzle with no answer. The men had
vanished into nothingness. It is my profound belief that the ancient curse of the Island
brewed up a false storm to terrify the keepers and lure them to their death. The temerity of
Man in building the new lighthouse just the year before would surely have been an
affront* which needed to be avenged. And avenged it was. (paragraph 10)

*Insult/injury

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