What writers struggle to express through numerous newspaper columns, the cartoon manages in

a pointed one-liner. Little wonder then, that the first thing most of us like to see when we pickup
a newspaper is the cartoon. Simple though it may seem, making a cartoon is an art that requires a
combination of hard work, training and a good sense of humour. Cartoonists say that the
cartoons that make us laugh the most are in fact the cartoons that are hardest to make. Even
celebrated cartoonists like R.K.Laxman admit that making a cartoon is not a piece of cake.
Laxman says he has to wait for over six hours, which includes spending a lot of time scanning
newspapers and television channels before any idea strikes him.

So how does one become a cartoonist? Which of us has the talent to make it? How can we
master the rib-tickling strokes and the witty one-liners? How can we make people smile or
laugh? There are few colleges or schools for cartoonists. Most cartoonists come from art
colleges, while some learn the craft on their own. Most established cartoonists are of the view
that no institute can teach you to make a cartoon. “You can pick up the craft, you may learn to
sketch and draw in institutes, but no one can teach anyone how to make a good cartoon,” says
Uday Shanker, a cartoonist with Navbharat Times. While basics, like drawing and sketching can
be learnt in an art college, and are important skills, these alone, do not make a good cartoonist.
Because it’s a question of one’s creativity and sense of humour; two qualities one simply may
not have. The advice established cartoonists give is that just because you can sketch, don’t take it
for granted that you will become a cartoonist.

Read the questions given below and write the option you consider the most appropriate in your
answer sheet.

Q1: What, according to Laxman, is the challenge in creating a good cartoon?

(i) waiting for the right thought (ii) browsing newspapers to emerge. and television.
(iii) getting the right kind of (iv) good drawing and sketching training. skills.

Q2: Which of these words BEST describes this passage?

(i) humorous (ii) technical
(iii) challenging (iv) informative

Q3: Of the many qualities that cartoonists should have, which of the following is not referred to
directly but can be inferred from the passage?
(i) knowledge of current (ii) knowledge of educational technologies. institutions.
(iii) knowledge of news and (iv) knowledge of different current affairs. languages.

Q4: According to the passage, which group of people is of the opinion that one cannot learn to
make a cartoon in institutions?
(i) many struggling writers. (ii) highly creative artists.
(iii) well-respected cartoonist. (iv) all newspaper editors.

Q5: “Don’t take it for granted that you will become a cartoonist.” Choose the option that is
closest in meaning to the sentence.
(i) Don’t assume that you will (ii) Don’t hope that you will become a cartoonist. become a
cartoonist.
(iii) Don’t believe that you will (iv) Don’t imagine that you will become a cartoonist. become a
cartoonist.

Unseen Passage for Class 9 | Well Rescued

Ulhas Mandlik, 35, a power-loom owner from Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra, and his mother were
homeward-bound one evening when heavy rain forced them to take shelter beneath a bridge. Not
far away, a small group of labourers huddled together under a part of the cement housing above a
16 metre deep well used to pump water for irrigation.

Suddenly, Mandlik and his mother heard the labourers scream. When the two got to the well,
they were told that a five year old boy named Hariya had fallen in through a side opening in the
structure. Ignoring his mother’s fears, Mandlik quickly knotted together lengths of flimsy rope
belonging to the labourers and asked them to lower him into the dark well. “I hope the rope
holds,” he thought. As he descended, Mandlik noticed the metal rungs on the wall of the well. He
grabbed hold of one and started climbing down, when he saw the boy clinging to a pipe running
up the well’s centre. Grabbing the child, Mandlik started to climb praying that the old rungs
wouldn’t give away and plunge them both into the churning water below. Their luck held and
within a few minutes, Mandlik clambered to ground level and handed over Hariya to his sobbing
father.

The man fell at Mandlik’s feet and offered him some money as a reward. Refusing the cash,
Mandlik took Hariya and his family to a nearby eatery and offered them steaming tea to warm
them up. Several organisations have honoured Mandlik for his bravery and presence of mind on
that wet day three years ago. “I am happy I was at the right place at the right time,” he says,” and
was able to return a little boy to his family.”

Read the questions given below and write the option you consider the most appropriate in your
answer sheet.

Q1: What first drew Ulhas and his mother to the well?
(i) shelter from the heavy rain. (ii) the return journey home.
(iii) news of a small boy’s fall. (iv) the labourer’s screams.

Q2: What were Ulhas’ mother’s fears really associated with?

(i) the rusted rungs inside the wall. (ii) the risk to the life of the rescuer.
(iii) the churning water inside (iv) doubts about the safety the well. of the boy.

Q3: Which of the following could be a learning from the report?

(i) it is best not to involve oneself (ii) one should not take shelter even in situations involving
others. beneath a bridge in the rain.
(iii) one cannot predict when an (iv) metal rungs alongside the wall of accident may befall any
person. a well may not always be useful.

Q4: Which of these expressions best describes Ulhas in view of this incident?
(i) disregard for an elder’s (ii) disbelief in one’s own abilities. warnings.
(iii) faith only in prayers for (iv) concern for others with no success. expectations.

Q5: Which of these did Hariya’s father express on receiving his son?
(i) gratitude. (ii) relief.
(iii) anxiety. (iv) peace.

Unseen Passage for Class 9 | Atithi Devo Bhavah

New Delhi: Atithi Devo Bhavah. To make visitors to the city feel welcome during the
Commonwealth Games, India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is set to train taxi and
auto drivers, CISF personnel posted at monuments, dhaba owners, hotel staff etc. Participants
will be taught English as well as courtesy and ways to communicate with tourists. At present,
there is a shortage of trained guides in the city and with Commonwealth Games drawing close,
the issue has to be addressed promptly.

With hundreds of historical sites to visit and each monument boasting its own unique history,
foreign nationals are often left to fend for themselves and depend on tourist books and brochures
for information. Language is another problem. Quite a contrast to facilities offered in tourist sites
in western countries, where trained guides-proficient in several languages-are easily available to
aid visitors apart from group-guided trips at regular intervals. Although the Archeological
Survey of India (ASI) plans to introduce audio guide services in five languages at some world
heritage sites our experts point that not a single monument or tourist place in the city has an
interpretation centre where tourists can come and get all information pertaining to a particular
site. ASI is also in the process of bringing out more brochures and guides for foreign visitors in
the city. Experts say such facilities are crucial if the government wants to promote Delhi as a
‘heritage city’. Various agencies like INTACH are also involved in the plans.

Under ITDC’s plans, etiquette training for the Games will also be provided to residents who
offer rooms to foreigners under Delhi government’s bed and breakfast scheme. “House-owners
will be given hospitality related training and a brief of Indian tourism scenario. Most visitors
generally question their hosts on information about the city so they will be provided information
on the golden triangle- Delhi, Agra and Jaipur as well as where tourists should go visiting in
Delhi,” said an official.

Read the questions given below and write the option you consider the most appropriate in your
answer sheet.
Q1: What are the initiatives to be taken up by the India Tourism Development Corporation to
make the visitors feel welcome during the Commonwealth Games?
(i) training of drivers, CISF personals, dhaba owners and hotel staff.
(ii) promoting the sale of tourist books and brochures.
(iii) arranging audio cassettes and tapes on tourism.
(iv) constructing more bed and breakfast homes.

Q2: How have the western countries managed to offer aid and better facilities to their tourists?
(i) by providing good tourist books and brochures.
(ii) by providing well-behaved and courteous guides.
(iii) by training guides in several languages and group-guided trips at regular intervals.
(iv) by allowing foreign nationals to fend for themselves.

Q3: Apart from the guides and the guided tours, Archeological Survey of India has expressed the
need for establishing ______________ at historical sites to help tourists.
(i) interpretation centres. (ii) rehabilitation centres.
(iii) cessation centres. (iv) training centres.

Q4: What steps have been taken by ASI to promote Delhi as a heritage site?
(i) making brochures very informative and training the residents.
(ii) bringing out more brochures and involving other agencies in planning and visitor
management.
(iii) offering tourists all sources of comfort for their stay and visits to historical sites.
(iv) providing owners of bed and breakfast homes information about Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

Q5: _________________ are to be provided to residents who offer rooms to foreigners under
ITDC’s plan.
(i) comfortable stay, friendly and hospitable treatment
(ii) etiquette training, hospitality treatment
(iii) better tourist guides and interpretation centres
(iv) visits to the golden triangle cities.

Unseen Passage for Class 9 | Surgical Instruments

Designed Due to Necessity
Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. And Indian doctors have been quite creative
when hamstrung by few or no tools to perform specific surgeries. They simply design it
themselves at one-fourth the price they are sold abroad. In fact, some of their innovations are
priced at as much as hundreds of dollars abroad.

Take 47-year-old Dr Burjor P Banaji, pioneer of Lasik surgery in India. He’s invented over a
dozen surgical instruments. When this senior eye surgeon at Max Eye Care started Lasik, there
were few surgeons doing it worldwide and no specific instruments were available either. “As I
want things super-perfect, I designed a whole slew of instruments that made my surgery more
efficient,” says Banaji. The most popular instruments are Banaji Lasik Shield and Banaji Lasik
Spatula and Canulae. “It was simple. I had the designs in my head. Putting them down on paper
was the simplest thing,” he says. Instruments manufacturers and large multinationals in the US
snapped them up. “They would send me computer generated drawings which I would correct and
send back. Their level of execution was astounding. Within two weeks of the designs being
finalised, the instruments were in the world market.”

His instruments are priced at hundreds of dollars each in the US, and are also sold in
Switzerland, South America, Korea, Eastern Europe, Africa and Japan. They’re available in
India at a fraction of the price.
—
Shobha John/TNN

Write the option that you consider the most appropriate in your answer sheets

Q1: Why have some Indian doctors created their own surgical tools?
(i) they have no tools to perform specific surgeries
(ii) they have a hamstring problem
(iii) the tools they get from abroad cost four times as much
(iv) they can sell these tools at a very high price.

Q2: What has Dr Burjor P Banaji created?

(i) Lasik surgery
(ii) Max Eye Care Centre
(iii) two surgical instruments called Banaji Lasik Shield and Banaji Lasik Spatula and Canulae
(iv) more than a dozen instruments for operating on the eye.

Q3: Where does Dr Banaji get the instruments manufactured?

(i) India (ii) the United States of America
(iii) Switzerland (iv) Japan

Q4: The term hamstrung refers to ……………………………

(i) restricted (ii) helped
(iii) harmed (iv) liberated

Q5: What does the phrase slew of instruments refer to?

(i) a wide range of instruments (ii) instruments used for slaying
(iii ) tools of a similar nature (iv) surgical instruments
Unseen Passage for Class 9 | Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock was a man with vivid imagination, strong creative skills and a passion for life.
With his unique style and God-gifted wit he produced and directed some of the most thrilling
films that had the audience almost swooning with fright and falling off their seats with laughter.
Alfred Hitchcock was greatly influenced by American films and magazines. At the age of 20, he
took up a job at the office of Paramount Studio, London. Using imagination, talent and
dedication, he made each of his endeavours a success. He took great pleasure in working in the
studio and often worked all seven days a week. He moved to the USA in 1939 and got his
American citizenship in 1955. Here, he produced many more films and hosted a weekly
television show. No matter from where his ideas came, whether a magazine article, a mystery
novel or incident, his films had the typical “Hitchcock touch”-where the agony of suspense was
relieved by interludes of laughter! Hitchcock was knighted in 1980.

Write the option that you consider the most appropriate in your answer sheets.

Q1: What qualities helped Hitchcock achieve success?

(i) his imagination, creativity and passion for life
(ii) his hard work, his imagination and his sense of humour
(iii) his creativity, his passion for life and his sense of humour
(iv) his imagination, his talent and his dedication

Q2: What is Alfred Hitchcock famous as?

(i) writer (ii) film producer
(ii) Television actor (iv) film actor

Q3: What did the typical Hitchcock-style of film-making include?

(i) fear and passion (ii) fear and humour
(iii) suspense and humour (iv) fear and suspense

Q4: What did Alfred Hitchcock do in United States?

(i) He produced films and read magazines
(ii) He produced films and television serials
(iii) He read magazines and saw films
(iv) He produced films and hosted a television show

Q5 What does the word swooning mean?

(i) fainting (ii) falling
(iii) hiding (iv) becoming conscious
Unseen Passage for Class 9 | Free Advice
I was overwhelmed with gratuitous advice. Well-meaning yet ignorant friends thrust their
opinions into unwilling ears. The majority of them said I couldn’t do without meat in the cold
climate. I would catch consumption. Mr Z went to England and caught it on account of his
foolhardiness. Others said I might do without flesh but without wine I could not move. I would
be numbed with cold.

One went so far as to advise me to take eight bottles of whisky, for I should want them after
leaving Aden. Another wanted me to smoke, for his friend was obliged to smoke in England.
Even medical men, those who had been to England told the same tale. I replied that I would try
my best to avoid all these things, but if they were found to be absolutely necessary I did not
know what to do. I may here mention that my aversion to meat was not so strong then as it is
now. I was even betrayed into taking meat about six or seven times at the period when I allowed
my friends to think for me. But in the steamer, my ideas began to change. I thought I should not
take meat on any account. My mother, before consenting to my departure, had exacted a promise
from me not to take meat. So, I was bound not to take it, if only for the sake of the promise. The
fellow passengers in the steamer began to advise us (the friend who was with me and myself) to
try it. —
M K Gandhi.

Write the correct option in your answer sheets

Q1: The advice the narrator received from his friends was NOT…………………..
(i) well-meaning (ii) uncalled for
(iii) sought after (iv) given by friends

Q2: When was the narrator offered the advice?

(i) when he was leaving for England
(ii) when he was in Aden
(iii) when he had started eating meat
(iv) when he was on the steamer

Q3: Why did the narrator’s friends advise him to take meat?
(i) everyone in England ate meat
(ii) meat would cause consumption
(iii) meat-eating would keep him healthy
(iv) he would find it tasty

Q4: The narrator was reluctant to eat flesh as ……………………….

(i) he had never eaten it before
(ii) he did not like the taste
(iii) it was not available on the steamer
(iv) he had promised his mother he would not do so

Q5: What does the term consumption here refer to?

(i) eat (ii) give up
(iii) a disease (iv) cold

Fill in the blanks with

determiners.

(a) ………………. entire polling station

seemed to be (b) ……………….. vast
mass of humanity. It was (c)
……………….. public holiday, (d)
…………….. old man insisted on
talking to (e) ……………… polling
officer. He refused to show (f)
……………… identity slip.

Fill in the blanks using determiners.

(a) Doubt was not (i) ………….. new
emotion. It was (ii) ……………. oldest
enemy. Yet I had not expected it to
come this way. I had become
accustomed to (iii) ………………
presence in (iv) ………….. being. (b)
There are (i) …………… broken chairs
in (ii) …………….. corner of (iii)
…………….. room. (c) There is (i)
……………… egg on this plate.
Fill in the blanks with suitable
determiners.
John Boyd Dunlop did not have (a)
……………. sturdy health which (b)
……………… farmer requires. So his
parents let him study for (c)
………………. another profession.
Therefore, he chose veterinary
medicine and took (d) ……………….
diploma in it from Edinburgh.

Complete the following passage with

suitable determiners.
I have met (a) ……………. people in
my life, but (b) …………… person who
has influenced me (c) ………….. most
is Mother Teresa. To me, she has
been (d) ……………. symbol of
true religion, (e) people can do what
she has done. If we adopt (f)
…………….. ideology, the world would
become a better place to live in.

Fill in the blanks with suitable

determiners.
(a) ……………….. abbreviation is (b)
……………… shortened form of (c)
……………… word or a group of
words. It is used to save time and
space. (d) …………………
abbreviations are also used
while speaking. Most of (ie)
dictionaries include (f) ……………. list
of commonly used abbreviations.

Fill in the blanks by using suitable

interrogatives.

• In …………….. book, do we find

the character Quasimodo?
• To ……………. notes are you
referring?
• ……………….. baskets are meant
for fruits?
• ………………. names have you
given to the twins?
• ………………. students are there
in the zonal football team?
• ………………… flour is needed to
make a cake for ten people?
• ………………. books did you read
during the summer vacation?
• ……………….. bat is heavier,
Sachin’s or M.S. Dhonis?

Fill in the blanks using suitable

determiners-
(a) (A/An/The) man went for

(b) (a/an/the) holiday to a place

near

(c) (a/an/the) sea. He spent

(d) (every/all/some) his days
watching the waves crash against
the shore.

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