APRIL / MAY

Q1. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. The window offered a view of the house opposite. The two families did not speak to each other because of a property
dispute. One day, Ruchira's textbooks lay untouched as the young girl's gaze was on the happenings in the house
opposite. There were two new faces in the neighbouring household – that of an elderly widow and a girl, aged sixteen.
Sometimes the elderly lady would sit by the window, doing the young girl's hair. On other days she was absent.

2. The new young neighbour's daily routine could be seen through the window – she cleaned the house, split nuts, and put
the cushions in the sun to air them. In the afternoons the girl sat on the terrace and read. Sometimes she wrote. One day
there was a hindrance. She was writing when the elderly woman snatched the unfinished letter from her hands.
Thereafter the girl was not to be seen on the terrace. Sometimes during the day sounds came from the house indicating
that a massive argument was going on inside.

3. A few days passed. One evening Ruchira noticed the girl standing on the terrace in tears. The evening prayer was in
progress. As she did daily, the girl bowed several times in prayer. Then she went downstairs.

4. That night Ruchira wrote a letter. She went out and posted it that very instant. But as she lay in bed that night, she
prayed fervently that her offer of friendship wouldn't reach its destination. Ruchira then left for Madhupur and returned
when it was time for college to start. She found the house opposite in darkness, locked. They had left.

5. When she stepped into her room she found the desk piled with letters – one had a local stamp on it with her name and
address in unfamiliar handwriting. She quickly read it. They continued to write to each other for the next twenty years.

Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate option from the ones given below:
1. Why did Ruchira write a letter to her new neighbour?
(a) She wanted to offer her, her help.
(b) She wanted to be friends with her.
(c) To apologize for her family's behaviour towards her family.
(d) To encourage her to continue learning to read and write.

2. Why was the young neighbour prevented from sitting on the terrace?
(a) She used to while away her time instead of working
(b) The old woman could no longer keep an eye on her.
(c) She had not finished writing the letter she was asked to.
(d) She had been writing a letter which she wasn't supposed to.

3. Which of the following can be said about Ruchira?

(1) She used to spy on her neighbours because she didn't trust them.
(2) She was at home because she was studying.
(3) She did not speak to her neighbours because they did not own property.
(a) None
(b) Only (2)
(c) Both (1) & (2)
(d) Only (3)

4. Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?

(a) The young girl was very devout and prayed every day.
(b) Only two letters were exchanged between the two girls.
(c) The new young neighbour was a servant.
(d) The afternoon was a time for the girl to study.
5. What is the synonym of ‘fervently’? (Para 4)
(a) Passionately
(b) Willingly
(c) Lovingly
(d) helplessly

WRITING

DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH

Write a descriptive paragraph on ‘My Maternal Aunt’. You may use the following hints – name, age, physical appearance,
nature, her likes/dislikes.

GRAMMAR

DETERMINERS
(POINT OUT/ INDICATE/ DETERMINE A NOUN FOLLOWING IT)
TYPES OF DETERMINERS:
1. DEMONSTRATIVES

THIS THAT → SINGULAR NOUNS

THESE THOSE → PLURAL NOUNS
↓ ↓
NEAR FAR
OBJECTS OBJECTS
2. POSSESSIVES
a) Adjectives – my, our, your, his, her, their, its
b) Pronouns – mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs, its
3. QUANTIFIERS
a SOME ANY
)

Positive sense, plural Interrogative sense, singular

E.g. There is some food in the E.g. Is there any food in the
fridge. fridge?

b EITHER NEITHER
)

i) One of the two/many None of the two

E.g. Either of you is lying.
ii) Both E.g. Neither of you is lying.

c) EACH EVERY ALL

Means every single element of Means ‘all’ but the Means ‘all’. Sentence
the group sentence goes in singular goes in plural
structure structure.

d) MUCH MANY
e) LITTLE FEW
Uncountable nouns Countable nouns
e) LITTLE A LITTLE THE LITTLE
f) FEW A FEW THE FEW
Hardly any/not sufficient At least some/sufficient for Whatever quantity
for the purpose. the purpose E.g.
E.g. E.g.  The little water in the
 There is little food left.  There is a little food in the bottle is also spilled by
We will have to cook fridge. You can have it. the baby.
more.  There are a few plants in  The few books I had are
 There are few books in our garden. torn.
the library.

4. ARTICLES: A, an, the

A – before consonant sounds .E.g. a boy, a union, a one-day match
An - before vowel sounds .E.g. an apple, an honest man, an X-ray machine
The –
a) Before definite noun
E.g. Let’s go to the market.
b) Before the names of seas, rivers, mountains, oceans, holy books, newspapers, magazines, races(the Punjabis, the
Americans)
c) Before superlative degree of adjectives.
d) Before unique nouns.
E.g. the sun, the moon, the Taj.
e) Before ordinal numbers. E.g. the first, the next, the last etc.

A THE

When a noun is introduced for the When an already introduced noun is mentioned
first time further

E.g. ___ girl was playing in ___ garden. ___ girl was wearing ____ frock. ___ frock
 was pink in colour. ___ frock had ___ white lace on it. After some time, ___ girl sat on
___ bench. ___ bench was made up of wood.

OMISSION OF ARTICLES:

1. Before proper nouns – names of persons, streets, towns, countries, days of the week, months of the year.
2. Before the names of mountain peaks – e.g. Mount Everest
3. Before the designations, when followed by name. E.g. King Henry.
4. Before material and abstract nouns. E.g. gold, love.

Fill in the blanks in the following short passage using the words from given options only when necessary. (Mark ø
where no article is required.)
a) My sister is ______ (a, an, the) architect. After graduating, she took up ______ (a, the, an) job with multinational
company. _______ (her, his, the) job takes her all over ________ (her, the, a) country and is extremely interesting. At the
moment however she is looking for _____ (some, a, few) new job, because _________ (the, a, that) travelling is getting
very tiring.

b) ______ (a, an, the) music is one of my greatest loves. I very much wanted to study it when I was at _______ (the, a, an)
school. My brother is ________ (a, an, the) talented sitar player and has _____ (a, an, the) beautiful voice, and I always
wanted to be as good as he is.

 Indicate with a √ the correct words from those given in brackets.

a) How (much, many) (chair / chairs) do we need?

b) We have only (a little / a few) (oil / oils) left for the car.
c) (Several / much) (Student / students) have arrived.
d) How (much / many) (information / informations) does this brochure give?
 e) You won’t need (much / many) (advice / advices) before you go to new hostel.
f) (A few / a little) (knowledge/knowledges) is a dangerous thing.
g) The owner of the house is selling (a little / a few) (piece / pieces) of (furniture / furnitures).

 The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the error and its correction in the
given space.

ERROR CORRECTION

a) A list of articles lost by railway travelers have _______ _______

b) been published, and many people who reads _______ _______

c) it, has been astonished. However, it is the _______ _______

d) efficiency of human mind that compel my _______ _______

e) wonder. Few of us has lost much property _______ _______

f) by forgetfulness. _______ _______

 Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners to complete the following passage.
A mother plays (a) ______significant role in (b) ______ family. She spends (c) ____of her time doing various domestic
chores. She has (d) _____ rest or relaxation. In spite of (e) ____hard duties, she remains neglected if (f)______members of (g)
______ family have no words of thanks for her work.

 In the passage given below, one word has been omitted in each line. Write the supplied word, the word before and
the word after it in the respective blanks:

THE MISSING THE

WORD WORD WORD
BEFORE AFTER
a) Lack of exercise and dietary habits ________ ________ ________
b) the main reasons for cardiac problems. ________ ________ ________

c) People stopped doing physical work. ________ ________ ________

d) Wrong food habits lead high ________ ________ ________

e) consumption carbohydrates and fats. ________ ________ ________

f) This results malfunctioning of the ________ ________ ________

g) metabolism, causing an increase the ________ ________ ________

h) cholesterol level the body. ________ ________ ________

 In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word , along with the word
before and after it, in the respective blanks:
THE WORD MISSING THE WORD
 BEFORE WORD AFTER

a) Taj Mahal is a Mughal Marvel. It is one _________ _________ _________

b) of greatest wonders of the world. It _________ _________ _________

c) is love story told in marble. Emperor _________ _________ _________

d) Shah Jahan built it for queen Mumtaj _________ _________ _________

e) Mahal. It lies on banks of the river _________ _________ _________

Yamuna. In front,

f) there is water channel with fountains. Under _________ _________ _________

the big dome,lie the graves.

g) It is the desire of tourists visit the Taj. _________ _________ _________

Choosethe correct determiner

Q1. __________ of the two sisters is married.
A. Both B. Every C. Each D. Any

Q2. _________ of you should attend the conference.

A. Both B. Each C. Every D. Many

Q3. We should inform __________ of them.

A. many B. every C. few D. all
Q4. They have spent __________ for their son’s wedding.
A. many B. enough C. all D the little

Q5. __________ of the candidates pass this exam.

A. Enough B. Fewer C. Either D. Most

MODALS
EXPRESS THE MOOD OF THE SPEAKER

MODALS MOOD/SITUATION EXAMPLES

May/might 1. Permission (formal) 1. May I come in?

2. Possibility 2. a) It may rain tonight.
(FUTURE TENSE– b) It might rain tonight.(stronger
‘MAY’ SHOWS A 3. Wish possibility)
WEAKER c) It might have rained yesterday.
PROBABILITY
THAN ‘MIGHT’) 3. May you live long!

Can/could 1. Permission (informal) 1. Can I take your pen?

2. Ability 2. He can/could lift this box easily.
3. Request 3. Could you open the window please?
Should 1. Advice 1. You don’t seem to be well. You should
2. After ‘lest’ consult a doctor.
2. He ran fast lest he should miss the train.
3. Moral obligation 3. You ought to respect your elders.
4. Strong advice 4. You must work hard, lest you should fail.
5. Compulsion (rule) 5. Students must come to school in proper
uniform.
Ought to
6. I must work hard to succeed.
6. Determination

Must

Shall Threat You shall be punished if you repeat this

mistake.

Would 1. Request 1. Would you open the window please?

2. Condition
 2. I would have attended the party, had he
invited me.

Has/Have to Compulsion I have to meet the Principal for an urgent work.

Need to/need not Necessity I need to go to the shop as I want to purchase

few notebooks.

Dad has brought the fruits, so you need not go

to the market now.

Used to Past habit I used to go to the temple everyday when I

was in village.

Dare Courage/audacity 1. He does not dare to refuse me.

2. They dared not say such a thing again,
after being scolded by me.
3. How dare you talk to me like that?
4. You dare not talk to me like that.
 Complete the following sentences by choosing the most approriate option.
1. I ____________(might/shall) take a day off and visit my grandparents.
2. ___________ (Can/May) I help you with the dishes?
3. Anshul _____________(could/shall) run these errands for you.
4. If you want, I _________(can/might) help you fix the laptop.
5. You _____ (must/could) call your parents immediately.
6. You __________ (ought to/could) go to the doctor without delay.
7. They _____________ (could not/may not) enter the hall, because they were late.
8. I wanted to ask if I _________ (would/could) leave early today.
9. ___________(Would/Could) you play the piano as a child?
10. The batsmen __________(shall/have to) score a lot of runs or we are going to lose the game.
 Fill in the blanks in the following piece of conversation choosing the appropriate words from the given options.
Dhruv : Let us go to movie, Madhav.
Madhav : I am sorry. I (a) ____________ not. I (b) ____________ reach home immediately.

Dhruv : But why(©) _________ you be in such a hurry?

Madhav : My mother is ill. I (d) _________ take her to the doctor. She (e) _______ not go home.

Dhruv : Then you (f) __________ certainly go.

(a) (i) can (ii) shall (iii) may (iv) need
(b) (i) shall (ii) must (iii) need (iv) many
(c) (i) might (ii) could (iii) should (iv) would
(d) (i) would (ii) shall (iii) might (iv) must
(e) (i) may (ii) can (iii) shall (iv) will
(f) (i) would (ii) must (iii) could (iv) might
 Complete the following passage, using the correct word from the given option
I was delighted to know that you are getting your new house built. As a friend, I___________ (must/ will/ can/ could) offer a
word of advice that _______________ (shall/ will/ would) solve your water problems in future. You _______________
(should/ can/ must/ could) build a rain water harvesting system in your house. This __________ (was done/ can be done/ will
be done) by digging a tank near your house. Drains from the roof ____________ (will be/ can be/ should be) carried to the
tank and this will help to recharge groundwater.

JULY

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (5 marks)
Maharana Pratap ruled over Mewar only for 25 years. However, he accomplished so much grandeur during his reign that his
glory surpassed the boundaries of countries and time turning him into an immortal personality. He, along with his kingdom,
became a synonym for valour, sacrifice and patriotism. Mewar had been a leading Rajput kingdom even before Maharana
Pratap occupied the throne. Kings of Mewar, with the cooperation of their nobles and subjects, had established such traditions
in the kingdom, as augmented their magnificence, despite the hurdles of having a smaller area under their command and less
population. There did come a few thorny occasions when the flag of the kingdom seemed sliding down. Their flag once again
heaved high in the sky, thanks to the gallantry and brilliance of the people of Mewar.

2. The destiny of Mewar was good in the sense that barring a few kings, most of the rulers were competent and patriotic. This
glorious tradition of the kingdom almost continued for 1,500 years since its establishment, right from the reign of Bappa
Rawal. In fact, only 60 years before Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga drove the kingdom to the pinnacle of fame. His reputation
went beyond Rajasthan and reached Delhi. Two generations before him, Rana Kumbha had given a new stature to the kingdom
through victories and developmental work. During his reign, literature and art also progressed extraordinarily. Rana himself
was inclined towards writing and his works are read with reverence, even today. The ambience of his kingdom was conducive
to the creation of high quality work of art and literature. These accomplishments were the outcome of a longstanding tradition,
sustained by several generations.

3. The life of the people of Mewar must have been peaceful and prosperous during the long span of time; otherwise such
extraordinary accomplishment in these fields would not have been possible. This is reflected in their art and literature as well
as their loving nature. They compensate for lack of admirable physique by their firm but pleasant nature. The ambience of
Mewar remains lovely, thanks to the cheerful and liberal character of its people.

4. One may observe astonishing pieces of workmanship, not only in the forts and palaces of Mewar but also in public utility
buildings. Ruins of many structures which are still standing tall in their grandeur are testimony to the fact that Mewar was not
only the land of the brave but also a seat of art and culture. Amidst aggression and bloodshed, literature and art flourished and
creative pursuits of literature and artists did not suffer. Imagine, how glorious the period must have been when the Vijaya
Stambha, which is the sample of our great ancient architecture even today, was constructed. In the same fort, Kirti Stambha is
standing high, reflecting how liberal the then administration was, which allowed people from other communities and kingdoms
to come and carry out construction work. It is useless to indulge in the debate, whether the Vijaya Stambha was constructed
first or the Kirti Stambha. The fact is that both the capitals are standing side-by-side and reveal the proximity between the king
and the subjects of Mewar.
5. The cycle of time does not remain the same. Whereas, the reign of Rana Sanga was crucial in raising the kingdom to the
acme of glory; it also proved to be his nemesis. History took a turn. The fortune of Mewar, the land of the brave, started
waning. Rana tried to save the day with his acumen which was running against the stream and the glorious traditions for
sometime.

Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate option from the ones given:

1. What does the word ‘nemesis’ mean?

a) Opponent b) Ally c) Aid d) Assistant

2. What were the difficulties in the way of Mewar?

(a) Lack of cooperation of the nobility
(b) Ancient traditions of the kingdom
(c) Its small area and small population
(d) The poverty of the subjects

3. Who drove the kingdom to pinnacle of success?

a) Rana Sanga b) Bappa Rawal c) Maharana Pratap d) Rana Sangha

4. What was the favourable thing about Mewar?

(a) All of its rulers were competent
(b) Most of its people were competent
(c) Most of its rulers were incompetent
(d) Only a few of its people were competent
5. Which is the sample of our great ancient architecture even today?
(a) Palace of Mewar (b) Port of Mewar (c) Vijaya Stambha (d) Kirti Stambha

WRITING
Q. Write a descriptive paragraph on ‘My study room’. You may use the following hints – furniture, size, details of
interior.

GRAMMAR

TENSES
TENSES SIMPLE CONTINUOUS PERFECT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

S+V1+O S+is/am/are+V-ing+O S + has/have+ V3+O S+have been +V-ing+

O+since/for+ beginning time
 Habitual action  Action going on  Finished action
E.g. I write a letter at present. E.g. I have written a  Action began in
PRESENT everyday. E.g. I am writing a letter. past and
letter. continuing till
 Universal truth
now.
E.g. The sun rises in  Action planned E.g. I have been writing
the east. for near future.
a letter since morning.
E.g. He is going to
 Action going on picnic tomorrow.
E.g. There goes my
bus!

S+V2+O S+was/were+V-ing+O S + had+ V3+O+ finish S+had been +V-ing+

time in past O+for+ duration of
 Action done in  Action going on action +when+another
past at a particular  Action finished at event in past
E.g. I wrote a letter point of time in the a particular point
yesterday. past. of time in the  Action began in
past.
 PAST E.g. I was writing a E.g. I had written a past, continued
letter when he called letter yesterday by 2 and completed
me. p.m. at a point of
time in past.
E.g. I had been writing
a letter for two hours
when you came to
meet me.

S+will/shall+V1+O S+will/shall + be + V- S + will/shall +have +

ing+O V3+O+ finish time in
 Action to be future
done in future.  Action that is
E.g. I will write a letter decided to  Action decided to
tomorrow. happen at a be completed at a
particular point of time particular point
in future. of time in future
FUTURE Rarely used
E.g. I will/shall have
E.g. I will be writing a written a letter by
letter tomorrow when tomorrow.
you come to meet me.

 There was a burglary in your neighbourhood. You saw something suspicious. Tell the police officer all about it by
filling in the blanks with the correct forms of the verb given in the brackets.
It ________(rain)last night. I ________(watch)T.V. I ________(feel) a little restless. I _______(go) to the window and was
looking out when I __________ (notice) that Mr Sharma, my neighbour _______(stand) near the door. I thought he had gone
to shut it. I also _______(see) Mrs Sharma walking up and down in her garden. Then I heard Mr Sharma calling his wife to
come in. I_________(come) back to my table and opened my book. I ______ (read) when I heard a thud and a scream. I
________ (rush) out of the house and saw a man in a black coat and hat running towards the gate. Mr and Mrs Sharma
________ (scream) in the street. I saw a car speeding away with the burglar.
 Fill in the blanks with correct form of verb given in the brackets:
It was my exam and I ______________ (get) late for school. I __________ (run)for bus when I _________(hit) my foot on something on
the pavement and ___________(fall) over. I tried toget up but ________ (can) not move. I had terrible pain in my left foot. I
__________(sprain) my ankle very badly. Since then I __________________(learn) a lesson never to board the bus running.

 Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verbs given:

a) He is very fat. He _____________ (weigh) 87 kgs.

b) He _________________ (believe) in ghosts, you know.
c) I can _________________ (see) the whole of the city from the top floor.
d) I __________________ (remember) his face very well. He used to ______________(live) near us.
e) He ____________ (like) his neighbour but he _____________ (dislike) him.
f) Yesterday this box _________ (contain) 25 packets of chocolates. Where have five of them _________ (go) today?
g) I’m not sure, but I __________ (think) he has ________(miss) the bus.
h) Thank you for _____________ (explain). Now I _________ (know) the verb forms.
i) Put that down! It __________ (belong) to me.

AUGUST

Read the passage carefully:

During our growing up years we as children were taught - both at home and school - to worship the photos and idols of the
Gods of our respective religions. When we grew a little older, we were to read holy books like the Bhagwad Gita, Bible and
Quran; we were told that there are a lot of life lessons to be learnt from these holy books. We were then introduced to stories
from our mythologies which taught us about ethics and morality- what is good and what is bad. I also learnt to be respectful
towards my parents who made my life comfortable with their hard work and love and care, and my teachers who guided me to
become a good student and a responsible citizen.
Much later in life, I realised that though we learn much from our respective holy books, there is a lot to learn from our
surroundings. This realization dawned upon me when I learnt to enquire and explore. Everything around us- the sun, the moon,
the stars, rain, rivers, stones, rocks, birds, plants and animals - teach us many valuable life lessons. No wonder that besides the
scriptures, in many cultures nature is also worshipped. The message that we get is to save our environment and maintain
ecological balance. People are taught to live in harmony with nature and recognize that there is God in all aspects of nature.
Nature is a great teacher. A river never stops flowing. If it finds an obstacle in its way in the form of heavy rock, the river
water fights to remove it from its path or finds an alternative path to move ahead. This teaches us to be progressive in life, and
keep the fighting spirit alive. Snakes are worshipped as they eat insects in the field that can hurt our crops, thus protecting the
grains for us. In fact, whatever we worship is our helper and makes our lives easy for us. There are many such examples in
nature, but we are not ready to learn a lesson. Overcome with greed, we are destroying nature. As a result, we face natural
disasters like droughts, floods and landslides. We don’t know that nature is angry with us. However, it is never too late to
learn. If we learn to respect nature, the quality of our life will improve.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions from that follow.
Q1. We are told to worship photos and idols of Gods during our _________.
a. childhood b. adulthood
c. growing up years d. none of these

Q2. Parents should be worshipped because __________

a. they gave us Holy books to read b. they taught us what is good and what is bad
c. they work hard to make our lives easier d. they have read many mythical stories

Q3. One can learn life lessons from _________

1. Mythology 2. Reading Holy books
3. Nature 4. Worshiping photos and idols of God

a. 1,2,4 b. 1,3,4
c. 1,2,3 d. 2,3,4
Q4. The natural disaster that has not been talked about in the passage is:
a. Drought b. Earthquake
c. Flood d. Landslide

Q5. A river teaches us to be ___________

a. Stubborn b. Obstinate c. Progressive d. Docile

Q6. Snakes are worshipped because they protect ____________

a. Crops from animals b. Crops from insects
c. Us from rodents d. Us from insects

Q7. Many cultures focus on the learnings from

a. Scriptures and snakes b. Holy books and mythologies
c. Nature and mythologies d. Scriptures and nature

Q8. What is responsible for destroying nature?

a. Floods b. Greed
c. Droughts d. Mythology

Q9. Which of the holy books is not mentioned in the lesson?

a. Bible and Quran b. Bhagwad Gita and Bible
c. Mahabharat and Guru Granth sahib d. Quran and Bhagwad Gita

Q10. Man needs to learn from

a. Rocks and people b. Sun and neighbours
c. Moon and rivers d. Stars and actors

WRITING
DIARY ENTRY

FORMAT

Day,Date
Time

(LEAVE A LINE)

Dear Diary

Body of the diary

Good day/night
Signature

Q.In the coming week, a debate competition is going to be held in your school and you have been selected for the same.
Express your feelings in the form of a diary in 100 – 120 words.

GRAMMAR
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

1. Singular subjects take singular verbs

(the boy, he, she) (is, was, has, does, eats, sleeps, runs)
Plural subjects take plural verbs
(the boys, they) (are, were, have, do, eat, sleep, run)
Exceptions – I – singular subject
You – singular and plural both
But both take a plural verb.
E.g. I go, you eat etc.
2. Two singular nouns joined with ‘and’ –
(a) Take a plural verb – e.g. Rita and Sita are playing.
(b) Take a singular verb when they refer to a single unit. E.g. – Bread and butter is a delicious breakfast.
(c) When both nouns have their own determiners before them, they refer to different subjects, hence carry plural verb. But
when only the first noun has a determiner before it and the second does not, they refer to a single subject, hence carry singular
verb.
E.g. The artist and the poet are dead.
The artist and poet is dead.
3. Each, every, someone, anyone, no one, everyone, somebody, anybody, nobody, everybody, either, neither, each of, one of
– singular verb
E.g. One of my cousins is coming from the USA.
4. Few of – plural verb
E.g. Few of the boys are absent.
5. Either – or, neither – nor
Verb is according to the last subject.
E.g. Either the king or his courtiers were right.
Either the courtiers or their king was right.
6. With, along with, as well as – Verb is according to the first subject
E.g. The king, along with his courtiers, was right.
The courtiers, with their king, were right.
7. Collective noun –
(a) Feeling of togetherness is shown, noun taken as a single group – verb is singular
E.g. The police is responsible for maintaining peace in the society.
 (b) Individual members of the group are referred, feeling of togetherness is shown – verb is plural
E.g. The police were asked to chase the criminal.
8. Expressions of time, money, measurement, and weight are usually singular when the amount
is considered one unit.
E.g. Five dollars is too much to ask.
Ten days is not enough time for this work to be done.
However, these terms are used in the plural sense as follows:
E.g. There were thirty minutes to countdown.
9. Nouns like furniture, news, physics, mathematics, economics, statistics, civics etc. seem to be plural but take a singular
verb.
E.g. Economics is a useful subject.
A lot of furniture was purchased by us.
10. Names of few books ending in ‘s’ seem to be plural but take a singular verb.
E.g. Gulliver’s Travels is an interesting book.
 The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the error and its correction in the
given space.
ERROR CORRECTION
(a) We have been bring in to fear about ________ ________________

(b) insects. We regard them like unnecessary __________ _______________

(c) creatures that do more harm to good. __________ _________
(d) Most of us fears are unreasonable __________ __________
(e) but they are difficult for erase. ___________ ____________
(f) No matter how more we like honey, __________ __________
(g) We have a horror of been stung by bees. ________ __________

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.

SEPTEMBER

SAMPLE PAPER

Section A
Q1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (5 marks)

1. A group of youths from Peddapuram town in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district launched a social media group
called ‘Mana Peddapuram’ (Our Peddapuram), a few years ago. The idea was to discuss issues affecting the town and
act upon them. A few months ago, Naresh Pedireddi, who has been behind the group came up with the concept of ‘rice-
for-plastic’. The idea behind the exchange was to encourage people to part with their non-biodegradable waste in large
numbers. “The slogan we promoted was ‘Avoid Plastic-Avoid Hunger’. We wanted to get rid of plastic and also feed
the hungry,” says Pedireddi, a Peddapuram-based entrepreneur.
2. The programme was launched on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary on 2 October. Within days, the group was
able to collect around 400 kgs of plastic and an equal amount of rice and other materials were distributed during the
drive. Now they plan to do it every Sunday.
3. The plastic that was collected was deposited at the local municipality office. They promised that it will be recycled,”
says Pedireddi.
4. For a town of around 70,000 people, the amount of plastic they collected through these drives is just a drop in the
ocean. But the group says that they will continue to raise awareness among the residents of the town.
“The most satisfying thing about this drive has been that it has inspired people in other towns of the district to launch
such initiatives,” says Pedireddi.
5. The Mana Peddapuram, besides raising civic issues like cleanliness, deforestation, and cultural events, has also run
campaigns spreading awareness on blood donation and the pledging of organs. The group claims that funds are not a
problem as the people in Peddapuram are generous when it comes to donating money for worthy causes.
“We have hundreds of young people in this group and we hope to take up many more issues in the coming months and
years,” says Pedireddi. We can only hope for many more such enthusiastic youth organizations that work for nation-
building.

Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate option from the ones given:
(1×5=5)

1. What was the idea behind the concept of ‘rice-for-plastic’?

(a) helping the hungry people
(b) collecting plastic to be sold at higher price
(c) helping the farmers
(d) managing non-biodegradable waste
 2. What does the phrase ‘a drop in the ocean’ mean?
(a) very large(b) too little(c) in liquid state(d) quite important

3. Arrange the following events in chronological order :

I. the plastic is deposited at the municipality for recycling.
II. 400 kg of plastic is collected.
III. social media group called ‘Mana Peddapuram’ is launched.
IV. equal amount of rice and other material is distributed.
V. people from other areas also get inspired.
(a) Ill, II, I, V, IV
(b) III, II, I, IV ,V
(c) IV, II, I, III, V
(d) V, II, I, IV, III

4. Which of the following is the opposite of ‘generous’?

(a) cunning
(b) wicked
(c) cruel
(d) selfish

5. What is done with the plastic deposited with the local municipal committee?
(a) send it for recycling
(b) sell it to the junk dealer
(c) identify people using non-biodegradable material
(d) give rice to people

Q2. Choose the correct options from those given below to complete the sentences: (1×5=5)

1. There were ______ refugee camps during World War II.

a) Little
b) Many
c) Much
 d) The
2. You ________ always abide by the rules.
a) Used to
b) Can
c) Should
d) May
3. My mother ______ scold me if I do not go back on time.
a) Will
b) Have to
c) Could
d) Used to
4. Does ______ know the answer?
a) Anyone
b) Someone
c) None
d) All
5. ______ lunch was organised by our family.
a) Any
b) The
c) Few
d) An

WRITING (2x5=10)

3. Write a descriptive paragraph on ‘Security Guard of School’. You may use the following hints – name, age, physical
appearance, nature, likes/dislikes, other’s opinion about him
(5 marks)
4. Write a descriptive paragraph on ‘The Library of My School’. You may use the following hints – location, size, furniture,
books, importance for you, details of librarian (5 marks)

OCTOBER
Read the following passage:
(1) The Sahara sets a standard for dry land. It’s the world’s largest desert. Relative humidity can drop into the low single digits.
There are places where it rains only about once a century. There are people who reach the end of their lives without ever
seeing water come from the sky. Yet beneath the Sahara are vast aquifers of fresh water, enough liquid to fill a small sea. It is
fossil water, a treasure laid down in prehistoric times, some of it possibly a million years old. Just 6,000 years ago, the Sahara
was quite a different place. It was green. Prehistoric rock art in the Sahara shows something surprising: hippopotamuses which
need water year-round.
(2) We don’t have much evidence of a tropical paradise out there, but we had something perfectly livable, says Jennifer Smith,
a Geologist at Washington University in St. Louis. At times when the Northern Hemisphere tilts sharply towards the sun and
the planet makes its closest approach, the increased blast of sunlight during the North’s summer months can cause the African
monsoon (which currently occurs between the Equator and roughly 17°N latitude) to shift to the North as it did 10,000 years
ago, inundating North Africa.
(3) Around 5,000 years ago, the monsoon shifted dramatically southward again. The pre-historic inhabitants of the Sahara
discovered that their relatively green surroundings were undergoing something worse than a drought (and perhaps they
migrated towards the Nile Valley, where Egyptian culture began to flourish at around the same time).
(4) As the land dried out and vegetation decreased, the soil lost its ability to hold water when it rained. Fewer clouds formed
from evaporation. When it rained, the water washed away and evaporated quickly. There was a kind of runaway drying effect.
Around 4,000 years ago, the Sahara became what it is today. No one knows how human-driven climate change may alter the
Sahara in the future. It’s something scientists can ponder while sipping bottled fossil water pumped from the underground.
“It’s the best water in Egypt, “Robert Giegengack, a University of Pennsylvania geologist, said — clean, refreshing mineral
water. If you want to drink something good, try the ancient buried treasure of the Sahara.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions

Q1. In the line ‘Prehistoric rock art in the Sahara’ the word “prehistoric” DOES NOT mean:
(a) primitive (b) modern
(c) ancient (d) pristine

Q2. Which of the following statements about the Sahara Desert is not correct?
(a) the inability of soil to hold water. (b) the washing away and the fast evaporation of water.
(c) the tendency of soil absorbing all the water (d) strong sunlight in the desert

Q3. What played an important role in the formation of Sahara as we know today?
(a) less cloud formation (b) Deforestation
(c) both (a) and (b) (d) runway drying effect

Q4. The monsoon shifted dramatically southward again. When did this happen?
(a) 4000 years ago (b) 5000 years ago
(c) 6000 years ago (d) 10000 years ago
Q5. Fossils water comes from heavy rains
(a) The statement is partially true. (b) The statement is completely false
(c) The statement is partially false (d) The statement is completely true

Q6. The shortage of water is evident from the fact that:

a) It never rains.
b) People cannot recognize rain
c) Some people spend their entire life without experiencing rain.
d) People do not know when will it rain

Q7. What is the meaning of the word ‘ponder’?

a) Illusion b) Worry c) Hopeful d) Think

Q8. What is the ancient buried treasure of Sahara Desert?

a) Water b) Fossils
c) Diamonds d) Gold

WRITING

SHORT STORY

FORMAT

TITLE (CENTRE, CAPITAL, UNDERLINE)

SIX ELEMENTSOF STORY WRITING

 SETTING/BACKGROUND
 CHARACTERS’ INTRODUCTION
 PLOT
 CLIMAX
 CONCLUSION/RESOLUTION
 MORAL OF THE STORY
Q. Develop a story in 150-200 words using the following beginning. Also give a suitable title and message.

Once upon a time, there was a peacock that was enjoying the pleasant weather in a forest suddenly………………

GRAMMAR
REPORTED SPEECH
Seema said to me ,” I will sing a song tomorrow. – DIRECT
SPEECH
Seema told me That She would sing a song the next day-REPORTED
SPEECH
‘SAID TO’ changes to: COMMAS change as CHANGE OF TENSES : CHANGE OF WORDS –
1. Told – assertive follows: Present tense – past tense Words showing nearness of time

Pronouns change as per the nouns they refer to.

sentence. 1. Single comma is Past simple – past perfect or distance are changed to the
2. Asked/enquired/ removed. Past cont. – past perfect words showing farness of time or
questioned/wanted to 2. Inverted commas cont. Past perfect distance:
know – interrogative change to:
sentence. – no change 1. This – that
a) That – assertive
3. Asked/ordered/ Past perfect cont. – no 2. These – those
and exclamatory
commanded/requested/ change 3. Here – there
sentence.
pleaded – imperative 4. Today – that day
b) To – imperative Future tense –
sentence 5. Tomorrow – the next day/the
sentence. Will/shall – would
4. Exclaimed with day after
c) If/whether – Modals –
joy/sorrow/surprise – 6. Yesterday – the previous day /
yes/no questions Can - could
exclamatory sentence. the day before
d) No connector in
Note: May - might 7. Ago – before
case of Wh-
8. Now – then
Informed/instructed/ questions.
advised/urged etc. may be
used as per the statement
spoken.
IMPORTANT POINTS –

1. No change of tenses when

a) Reporting verb is in present or future tense.
e.g. Seema says,”______________________.”
Or Seema will say,”____________________.”
b) The spoken statement is a proverb or a universal truth.
e.g. i) Seema said,” Honesty is the best policy.”
Seema said that honesty is the best policy.
ii) Myteachersaid, “The sun rises in the east.”
My teacher told that the sun rises in the east.
2.Interrogative and exclamatory sentences are changed to simple assertive sentences.
e.g. a) My mother asked, “Where are you going?”
My mother asked where I was going.
b) The child said,“ What a beautiful garden!”
The child exclaimed with joy that the garden was very beautiful.
 Read the conversation between Matron and Boy. Complete the following in reported
speech by choosing from the options given below.

Matron – What is the matter with you boy?

Boy I have a severe pain on the right hand side of my stomach.
Matron – Have you been eating?
Boy I haven’t eaten a morsel since morning.
Matron – Come, I give you something to eat first.
Boy But I cannot move a bit.
1. Matron asked Boy_____________

(a) what was the matter with him.

(b) what the matter with him was.
(c) what has the matter with him.
(d) what had the matter with him.

2. Boy replied that

(a) He have a severe pain on the right hand side of his stomach.
(b) He has a severe pain on the right hand side of his stomach.
(c) He had a severe pain on the right hand side of his stomach.
(d) He had a severe pain on the right hand side of my stomach.

3. Matron enquired _____________

(a) If he is being eating..
(b) If he had been eating.
(c) If he have been eating.
(d) If he was been eating.

4. Boy said that

(a) he had not eaten a morsel since morning.
(b) he was not eating a morsel since morning.
(c) he has not eaten a morsel since morning.
(d) he did not eat a morsel since morning.
 Last week Shruti had toothache and had to visit the dentist. Read what her dentist
said, and then write down what he said, in reported speech. Change the tense of the
verb where necessary.
 You have a rotten tooth and swollen gums.
 You have obviously not been taking care of your teeth.
 You haven’t been cleaning your teeth twice a day.
 You shouldn’t be eating too many chocolates and ice creams.
 You have to get the tooth extracted.
 You need to be on liquid diet till the gums heal.
 You’ll feel better in a few days.
 You can call me if you feel worse.
 What did the doctor say to Shruti?
(a) The doctor told Shruti___________________________________________________
(b) He said ______________________________________________________________
(c) He told her that _______________________________________________________
(d) He told her not to _____________________________________________________
(e) _____________________________________________________________________
______
(f) ________________________________________________________________
(g) _____________________________________________________________________
__
(h) _____________________________________________________________________
__
 NOVEMBER

Q1. Read the passage carefully:

The choices we make on a daily basis—wearing a seatbelt, lifting heavy objects correctly or purposely
staying out of any dangerous situation—can either ensure our safety or bring about potentially harmful
circumstances.
You and I need to make a decision that we are going to get our lives in order. Exercising self-control, self-
discipline and establishing boundaries and borders in our lives are some of the most important things we can
do. A life without discipline is one that’s filled with carelessness.
We can think it’s kind of exciting to live life on the edge. We like the image of “Yeah! That’s me! Living on
the edge! Woo-hoo!” It’s become a popular way to look at life. But if you see, even highways have lines,
which provide margins for our safety while we’re driving. If we go over one side, we’ll go into the ditch. If
we cross over the line in the middle, we could get killed. And we like those lines because they help to keep
us safe. Sometimes we don’t even realize how lines help to keep us safe.
I’m not proud of this, but for the first 20 years of my life at work, I ignored my limits. I felt horrible, physically,
most of the time. I used to tell myself “I know I have limits and that I’ve reached them, but I’m going to ignore
them and see if or how long I can get by with it.” I ran to doctors, trying to make myself feel better through pills,
vitamins, natural stuff and anything I could get my hands on. Some of the doctors would tell me, “It’s just
stress.” That just made me mad. I thought stress meant you don’t like what you do or can’t handle life, and I love
what I do. But I kept pushing myself, traveling, doing speaking engagements and so on— simply exhausting
myself.
Finally, I understood I was living an unsustainable life and needed to make some changes in my outlook and
lifestyle.
You and I don’t have to be like everyone else or keep up with anyone else. Each of us needs to be exactly
the way we are, and we don’t have to apologize for it. We’re not all alike and we need to find a comfort
zone in which we can enjoy our lives instead of making ourselves sick with an overload of stress and
pressure.
On the basis of understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Q1) Which of the characteristics are apt about the writer in the following context: “I know I have
limits and that I’ve reached them, but I’m going to ignore them and see if or how long I can get by
with it.” ?
1. negligent 2. Indecisive 3. Spontaneous 4. Reckless 5. Purposeless 6. patient
a) 2 and 5 b) 3 and 6

c) 1 and 4 d) 2 and 3
Q2) The reason why living on the edge has become popular, is because of the
a) constant need for something different. b) population being much younger.

c) exhausting effort to make changes. d) strong tendency to stay within our limits.

Q3) The phrase “potentially harmful circumstances” refers to circumstances that can
(a) certainly be dangerous. (b) be unfairly dangerous.

(c) be possibly dangerous. (d) seldom be dangerous.

Q4). Choose the option that correctly states the two meanings of ‘outlook’, as used in the passage.
1. A person’s evaluation of life 2. A person’s experiences in life

3. A person’s point of view towards life 4. A person’s regrets in life

5. A person’s general attitude to life
a) (1) and (4) b) (2) and (3)

c) (3) and (5) d) (4) and (5)

Q5) Choose the option that best captures the central idea of the passage from the given quotes.
a. It’s all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends.
b. To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.
c. Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
d. Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.
Q6) The author explains the importance of discipline and boundaries in our lives using the example of
a) road accidents. b) traffic rules.

c) lines on the highway. d) safe driving.

Q7) The author attempts to __________________ the readers through this write-up.
a) rebuke b) question

c) offer aid to d) offer advice to

Q8) What is the message conveyed in the last paragraph of the passage?
a) Love what you do. b) Love yourself to love others.

c) Be the best version of yourself. d) Be yourself

Q9) Which of the following will be the most appropriate title for the passage?
a) Much too soon b) Enough is enough

c) How much is too much d) Have enough to do?

Q10) The author uses colloquial words such as “yeah” and “Woo-hoo!”. Which of the following is
NOT a colloquial word?
a) hooked b) guy

c) stuff d) stress

WRITING
Q1. Write a descriptive paragraph in 100-120 words on ‘My Neighbour’.
Q2. Write a descriptive paragraph in 100-120 words on ‘Your Favourite Restaurant’.
Q3. Write a descriptive paragraph in 100-120 words on ‘My School Bag’.
Q4. You won gold medal in Inter House English Recitation Competition. Express your feelings in the form
of diary entry. (100-120 words)
Q5. Write a story on the moral ‘Slow and steady wins the race.’

GRAMMAR

Non Finites

The Infinitives:

1. She likes to play football.

2. Ranjitha wanted to learn photography.
3. To care is to share.
4. She wants to buy a new house.
5. I went to (preposition, placed before a noun) market to purchase grocery.

The following verbs can be followed by the infinitive (to+ Verb I) as the direct object.

Agree Care Hope Mean Forbid Forget

Pretend Refuse Learn Plan Deserve Fail

Offer Decide Intend

The Gerund:

The Gerund is also called the verbal noun. It always gives the answer of ‘What’

Use of Gerund:

a. As the subject of a verb:

1. Swimming is a good exercise.
2. Smoking is injurious to health
3. Speaking is easier than writing.
 b. As the object of a verb.
1. They do not appreciate my singing.
2. I hate waiting.

c. As the object of the preposition.

1. He was fired for mismanaging.
2. He is thinking of resigning.
3. He is fond of drawing.

The following verbs can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund as an object.

Continue forget Regret neglect try

Remember propose learn

The Participle
There are two types of participle:
Present participle: Verb +ingE.g. Crying
Past participle: Verb +ed/en E.g. Wounded or drunken
a) The crying child gets milk.
b) A rolling stone gathers no moss.
c) The wounded soldier was carried to the medical camp.
d) Burnt child dreads fire.
Practice Exercise:

Underline the Finite and circle the Non-finite Verbs.

a) He likes to visit hill stations.

b) Rohan and Sohan enjoy playing cricket.

c) You need not shout.

d) Reading is a good habit.

e) She loves swimming in the lake.

Fill in the blanks with the Participle form of the verbs given in brackets.

a) This is the most ________ (surprise) news that I have heard.

b) _______ (see) the tiger, the man ran away.

c) The balloon, ______(fill) with hot air, was sent up.

d) ________________________ (deceive) by his friends, he lost all hope.

e) We met a girl _____________________ (carry) a basket of flowers.

 DECEMBER

SAMPLE PAPER

Section A

Q1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (5 marks)

GO BEYOND THE MIND

1. The mind is always very defiant. If we are trying hard to concentrate on the Light, for instance, it
will resist , revolt and drag us everywhere else but to the Light. And this tussle continues every day
for everyone.
2. Understanding this trait of the human mind, sages and scriptures have suggested that instead of
trying to control it, one must put the mind completely aside. Stop treating the mind as an opponent
that needs to be won over, instead we need to use it wherever and whenever it is required, as a
friendly tool to insist us in our lives. And at the same time, also realise and go beyond the mind,
where pure awareness awaits us. This journey follows three stages — concentration, meditation and
mindfulness.
3. Concentration is disciplining the mind, but meditation is going beyond the mind. People think that
meditation is all about concentrating on some object, like a source of light, or inhaling-exhaling our
breath. Meditation is neither of these. It is not a mind activity. Meditation means dropping
everything. In dropping, we become a witness and then, when one becomes a witness, what remains
is pure awareness. This is a beautiful space of solitude.
4. Concentration is an external effort, but it is also necessary in life. In concentration, our mind is
focussed upon a single object, instead of continuously moving from one state to another. And that’s
why for scientists and other professionals, concentration is like oxygen. They need to focus in their
respective areas to experiment and to go deeper into the object of their study and bring out something
valuable for humanity. Therefore, we must use the mind wisely, but be careful not to let it become
the master. Its nature is like that of a wanderer, always moving from one place to another. This was
the state of Arjun’s mind at the start of the Mahabharata, when he tells Krishna that his mind is in a
turmoil and it is more difficult to control than the wind. To which Krishna replies, it is possible to
control the mind through the practice of detachment. By being in sakshi bhav, a witness, one can put
aside the mind. Krishna further adds that the mind is the reason for bondage and also the reason for
our liberation.

5. The second stage, which is meditation, is not a struggle against the mind, but in a way, it is a process
to observe, understand and experience the mind, and in turn have a glimpse of existence. When
concentration ceases and one simply enjoys ones pure being, meditation arises. This state of pure
being too is a process and one can arrive at it just by being indifferent to one’s thoughts.
6. Then there is a third state which is called mindfulness, a state of unadulterated awareness. We
continue to do our daily chores but are always mindful, always aware. The Buddha calls it ‘right
mindfulness’. It is a pure space of no-mind. Osho describes it as a state of pure awareness. He says
mindfulness is not a goal. When the mind disappears, thoughts disappear. It is not that you become
 mindless, on the contrary, you become mindful. And mindfulness, I believe, creates a space within us
where the whole existence is available.

Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate option from the ones given:
(1×5=5)

i) Which of the following explains the meaning of ‘meditation’?

a) Going beyond the mind
b) Concentrating on some object
c) Pure awareness
d) Struggle against the mind
ii) What is the synonym of the word ‘tussle’ in paragraph 1?
a) Surrender b) Calm
c) scuffle d) Harmony
iii) ‘Its nature is like that of a wanderer, always moving from one place to another.’ The word ‘its’ is
used for:
a) Master b) Wind
b) Oxygen d) Mind
iv) What is right mindfulness according to Buddha
a) State of unadulterated awareness
b) State of pure awareness
c) State of pure space of mind
d) State of becoming mindless
v) What is the antonym of the word ‘solitude’ in paragraph 3?
a) company b) detachment
c) loneliness d) seclusion

Q2. Choose the correct option from the following: (1×5=5)

i) I asked the shopkeeper, “What is the price of this bike?”

a) I asked the shopkeeper that what the price of this bike was.

b) I asked the shopkeeper what is a price of this bike.

c) I asked the shopkeeper what was the price of that bike.

d) I asked the shopkeeper what the price of that bike was.

ii) The teacher said, ”Don’t move, boys”.

a) The teacher instructed the boys not to move.

b) The teacher asked the boys not to be moving.

c) The teacher instructed the boys do not to move.

d) The teacher told to them, don’t move.

iii) The father says, “She is listening to her teacher.”

a) The father said that she was listening to her teacher.

b) The father says that she has listened to her teacher.

c) The father says that she is listening to her teacher.

d) The father says that she was listening to her teacher.

iv) Maria said, "It is my car."

a) Maria said that it is my car.
b) Maria said that it is her car.
c) Maria said that it was my car.
d) Maria said that it was her car.

v) Tania said to me, "Could you change my domain name?"

a) Tania asked me if she could change the domain name.
b) Tania asked me if I could change her domain name.
c) Tania said to me if I can change my domain name?
d) Tania asked me if she can change her domain name.

Section B

WRITING

3. Write a story beginning with the following lines also give a suitable title and moral to your story. (120-
150 words)

‘The phone rang. "Hello," I said, "Hello." No one was there. I hung up. All the lights went out...
 JANUARY

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (5 marks)
1. Have you ever failed at something so miserably that the thought of attempting to do it again was the last
thing on your mind?
2. If your answer is yes, then you should understand that you are not a robot. Unlike robots, we human
beings have feelings, emotions, and dreams. We are all meant to grow despite our circumstances and
limitations. Flourishing and trying to make our dreams come true feels great when life goes our way. But
what happens when it does not? What happens when you fail despite all your hard work? Do you stay
down and accept defeat or do you get up again? If you tend to persevere and keep going, you have what
experts call ‘grit’.
3. Falling down or failing is one of the most agonising, embarrassing, and scary human experiences. But it
is also one of the most educational, empowering, and essential parts of living a successful and fulfilling
life. Did you know that perseverance (grit) is one of the seven qualities that has been described as the
key to personal success and betterment in society? The other six are curiosity, gratitude, optimism, self-
control, social intelligence, and zest. Thomas Edison is an example of grit for trying more than 1,000
times to invent the light bulb. If you are reading this with the lights on in your room, you will realise the
importance of his success. When asked why he kept going despite hundreds of failures, he merely stated
that they had not been failures, they were hundreds of attempts towards creating the light bulb. This
statement not only revealed his grit but also his optimism for looking at the bright side.
4. Grit can be learnt to help you become more successful. One of the techniques that help is mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a practice that makes an individual stay at the moment by bringing awareness of his or
her experience without judgement. This practice has been used to quieten the noise of fears and doubts.
Through this simple practice of mindfulness, individuals have the ability to stop the self-sabotaging
downward spiral of hopelessness, despair, and frustration.

Answer the following questions:

1. The reason why you are not a robot is that

(a) You fail miserably at tasks
(b) Failure and success can affect your emotions
(c) You work hard
(d) You have limitations
2. Which of the following sentences makes the correct use of “grit”, as used in the passage?
(a) Get rid of that grit in your shoes.
(b) She had a bit of grit in her eye.
(c) The road had been covered with grit.
(d) Her grit never made her give up.
3. How does mindfulness help?
(a) It creates awareness
(b) It quietens the noise of fears and doubts
(c) It helps one become successful
(d) It helps develop focus
4. To be successful in life one needs to have the following:
(1) Perseverance (2) Mindfulness (3) Pessimism (4) Curiosity
Choose the correct option:
a) Option 1, 3 & 4 b) Option 2, 3 & 4 c) Option 1, 2 & 4 d) Option 1 & 3
5. To develop perseverance, one must:
(a) become more aware
(b) work hard
(c) be in the moment and be aware without judgement
(d) seek guidance

GRAMMAR
PREPOSITION

Preposition is a word that shows the position of a noun in a sentence. e.g. in, on, at, to, with, under, above,
into, by, of etc

Commonly Confused Prepositions:

1. in &within – ‘In’ means at the end of the given time

‘within’ means somewhere between the given time.
e.g. My father will come in a week. ( at the end of the week)
My father will come within a week. ( somewhere between the week)
2. in& into – ‘in’ is used for static action and ‘into; for movement.
E.g. My mother poured the milk from the kettle into the cup.
The milk in the cup was very hot.
3. on& upon – ‘on’ for showing static state and ‘upon’ for showing movement .
E,g. the book is kept on the table.
the cat jumped upon the table.
4. beside& besides – ‘beside’ means by the side of or next to.
‘besides’ means in addition to.
E.g. There is a garden beside my house.
Besides these notebooks, he has a textbook also.
5. at, on , in (time) –
day/ date – on
month/ year – in
time – at
morning/ evening – in
noon/ midnight, night – at
dusk , dawn – at
6. at, in (place) – ‘at’ for smaller places and ‘in’ for comparatively bigger places.
E.g. I study at Delhi Public School in Jodhpur.
7. by& with – ‘by’ is used before the doer while ‘with’ before the medium used to do the
work.
E.g. The dog was hit by Ram with a stone.
8. since& for – ‘since’ is used before a pont of time of beginning of the action while ‘for’ is
used for duration.
9. Eg. I have been studying in this school since 2015.
I have been studying in this school for five years.
10. to& towards – ‘to’ for destination and ‘towards’ for direction.
 E.g. I am going to my friend’s house.
I am going towards my friend’s house.
11. in spite of & instead of – ‘in spite of’ means though while ‘instead of’ means in place of
12. EgIn spite of being ill, he worked so hard that he stood first in the class.
Ravi’s brother has done the work instead of him.
13. in spite & despite – both mean the same, i.e. ‘though. in spite carries ‘of’ with it but
‘despite’ does not carry ‘of’ with it.
E.g. Despite being ill, he worked so hard that he stood first in the class
14. above, below, over, under – based on alignment

above over above

_________________object________________________

below under below

 Complete the given passage by choosing the correct option from those given below:

Sohan was accused (a)_______murder. He appealed (b)__________the judge(c) ________mercy. But his appeal was
not listened (d) __________. He was found guilty (e) ______ murder. He was condemned (f) ______death.

a) 1. in2.to3.at4. of
b) 1. to 2.from3. For 4.of
c) 1.from2.by 3. for 4.to
d) 1. at 2.to3 of 4. in
e) 1. for 2. in 3. to 4. of
f) 1. to 2.for 3.of 4.at
 Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions.

1. We regret that we cannot comply ………………………. your request.

a) With b) At c) To
2. The best candidate should be appointed …………………………… the post.
a) To b) At c) With
3. He is addicted ………………………….. gambling.
a) On b) At c) To
4. I was amazed ………………………….. her stupendous ignorance.
a) With b) On c) At
5. We must be grateful for the blessings that God has bestowed ……………………………….. us.
a) On b) With c) For
6. We called ………………………….. a friend’s house on the way.
a) At b) On c) For
7. On the way we came …………………………. an old beggar.
a) Along b) Across c) On
8. We agreed ………………………… a certain course of action.
a) With b) Upon c) In
9. People in many villages don’t have access ………………………. electricity.
a) With b) To c) At
10. He was accused ———————— theft.
a) Of b) For c) With
11. He has been absent ………………………. classes for three days now.
a) At b) From c) On
12. You must abide ……………………………. the terms of this agreement.
a) By b) With c) At
 FEBRUARY
Read the following passage carefully.

1.There were other boys in Manjari village, but Bisnu was the only one who went to school. His mother
would not have fussed if had stayed at home and worked in the fields. That was what the other boys did, all
except lazy Chittru, who preferred fishing in the stream or helping himself for the fruit other people’s trees.
But Bisnu went to school. He went because he wanted to. No one could force him to go and no one could
stop him from going. He had set his heart on receiving a good schooling. He wanted to read and write as
anyone in the big world and so he walked to school every day.

2.A colony of langoors lived in the forest. They fed on oak leaves, acorns, and other green things and
usually remained in the trees, coming down to the ground only to play or sun themselves. They were
beautiful, supple-limbed animals, with black faces and silver-grey coats and long, sensitive tails. They leapt
from tree to tree with great agility. The young ones wrestled on the grass like boys.

3.A dignified community, the langoors did not have the cheekiness or dishonest habits of the red monkeys of
the plains; they did not approach dogs or humans. But they had grown used to Bisnu’s comings and goings
and did not fear him. Some of the older ones would watch him quietly, a little puzzled. They did not go near
the town; because the boys threw stones on them. And anyway, the forest gave them all the food they
required. Coming from another direction was a second path, and at the junction of the two paths Sarru was
waiting for him. Sarru came from a small village about three miles from Bisnu’s and closer to the town.

4.They hailed each other and walked along. They often met at this spot, keeping each other company for the
remaining two miles.

‘There was a panther in our village last night’, said Sarru.

5.This information interested but did not excite Bisnu. Panthers were common enough in the hills and did
not usually present a problem except during the winter months, when their natural prey was scarce.

‘Did you lose any animals’ asked Bisnu.

‘No, it tried to get into the cowshed but the dogs set up the alarm. We drove it off.’

‘It must be the same one which came around last winter. We lost a calf and two dogs in our village.’

‘Wasn’t that the one that left the shikaris wounded? I hope it hasn’t become a cattle-lifter’.

‘It could be the same. It has a bullet in its leg. These hunters are the people who cause all the trouble. They
think it’s easy to shoot a panther. It would be better if they missed altogether, but they usually wound it.’

‘And then the panthers too slow to catch the barking-deer and starts on our own animals.’ ‘Were lucky it
didn’t become a man-eater. Do you remember the man-eater six years ago? I was very small then. My father
told me all about it. Ten people were killed in our valley alone.’

‘What happened to it?’

‘I don’t know. Some say it poisoned itself when it ate the headman of the village’.

Bisnu laughed. ‘No one liked the old villain. They linked arms and scrambled up the stony path to school’.
 Answer the following questions briefly in your own words

i)How was Chittru different from other boys?

ii) What was Bisnu’s ambition?

iii) What information did Sarru give Bisnu?

iv) How did the information affect Bisnu?

v) Why did the panther become a cattle-lifter?

vi)What joke does Sarru make?

vii) Find the word from the passage that has the same meaning as

i) ease/quickness ______________

ii) greeted. ______________

iii) rogue/wicked man _____________

GRAMMAR
RELATIVE PRONOUNS

(QUESTION WORDS USED AS PRONOUNS)

1. WHO/ WHOM/ WHOSE –

(a) for persons.
E.g. The boy who is standing at the gate is my brother.
The man whom you wanted to meet has now arrived. (‘Who’ can also be used )
The child whose toy was broken has left this place.

(b) for animals, when they are very intimate to us.

E.g. This is the dog whom I want to buy.

2. WHICH – for animals and things

E.g. The dog which had bit me has been taken away by the Municipal Corporation.
The time which is once lost cannot be regained.
3. WHERE – for places.
E.g. This is the place where I want to settle down after my retirement.
‘WHICH’ for places in the following cases:
E.g. This is the place which I love the most/which I had visited last year.

4. WHAT – for things or matters.

E.g. What is difficult for one man may not be for another.
I will tell you what happened.
5. THAT – used in place of WHO or WHICH, in informal cases only.
OMISSION OF RELATIVE PRONOUNS: In most of the cases, they can be omitted, except:

E.g. All that glitters is not gold.

What matters the most to me is your opinion, nothing else.
What I have decided once cannot be changed.
 Join the following sentences using suitable relative pronouns.
1. A man is talking to Rohit. Do you know the man?
Do you know the man, who_is talking to Rohit.
2. Two girls have moved into the flat next door. They own two dogs.
______________________________________________________
3. I wrote a book about aliens. It is selling pretty well.

_______________________________________________________

4. Hamish speaks Mandarin perfectly. His mother is a poet.

____________________________________________________________

5. I accidently broke the vase. It belonged to my great grandfather.

____________________________________________________________

6. The white house in that lane is very beautiful. It has big French windows.

Complete the following letter with suitable tense forms as given in the bracket.

Dear Sir

I‘ll ______________ (feel, think, hope) highly obliged if you publish that communal harmony ______ (is, was, has)
absolutely essential for the progress and the development of the country. Its absence ______________ (disturbs,
brings, increases) the growth of the country and the tragedy is that communal riots __________ (become, became,
becomes) very common nowadays. A few days ago, some people belonging to two different communities
___________________ (pick, picked, were picking) a quarrel over a petty issue. Many people_________________
(get, got, gets) injured. When will people realize that they ___________ (cannot progress, should not progress) until
they remain united.

Yours sincerely

Abdul

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the words given in the brackets.

Ram and Sham are from Delhi, but they _____(live) in Madrid. They ______(work) for Opel, the car factory. Ram
and Sham _______(like) swimming and cooking. They ____(not have) a car. They ______(not like) driving!

COMPARISONS
THREE DEGREES OF ADJECTIVES:
 1. POSITIVE DEGREE – Tells the quality of the noun. Determiner ‘A’ or ‘An’ is used before them or
no determiner to be used.
E.g. He is a great king.
King Ashoka was great.
2. COMPARATIVE DEGREE: Used to compare the quality of two nouns or two qualities of the same
noun. Connector ‘than’ is used.
E.g. Ram is more intelligent than his brother.
Ram is more intelligent than hard-working.
Exceptions:
Connector ‘To’ is used in the following cases:
Superior, inferior, elder, younger, junior, senior.
3. SUPERLATIVE DEGREE: Shows the maximum or minimum intensity of the adjective. Determiner
‘The’ to be used before it.
E.g. This is the most beautiful garden in this area.

POSITIVE COMPARATIV SUPERLATIVE

E
Long Longer Longest
Tall Taller Tallest
Small Smaller Smallest
High Higher Highest
Low Lower Lowest
Smart Smarter Smartest
Pretty Prettier Prettiest
Beautiful More Beautiful Most Beautiful
Honest More Honest Most Honest
Old Older/Elder Oldest/Eldest
Much/Many More Most
Good Better Best
Bad Worse Worst

EXERCISES

Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets .

1. My house is (big)____________ than yours.

2. This flower is (beautiful)__________ than that one.
3. This is an (interesting)_________ book .
4. Regular exercise keeps us (healthy)______________..
5. Which is the (dangerous)______________ animal in the world?
6. A holiday by the sea is (good_____________ than a holiday in the mountains.
7. Platinum is an (expensive)___________ metal.
8. Who is the (rich)______________ woman on earth?
9. The weather this summer is even (bad_____________ than last summer.
10. He was the (clever)____________boy of all.
 SAMPLE PAPER

MM- 40. TIME: 2 HOURS

Section A

Q1. Read the passage carefully: (1x8=8)

1. I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only claim to know how a story ought to
be told, for I have been almost daily in the company of the most expert storytellers for many years.

2. There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind—the humorous. I will talk mainly
about that one. The humorous story is American, the comic story is English, the witty story is
French. The humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling, the comic story
and the witty story upon the matter.

3. The humorous story may be spun out to great length, and may wander around as much as it pleases,
and arrive nowhere in particular; but the comic and witty stories must be brief and end with a point.
The humorous story bubbles gently along, the others burst.

4. The humorous story is strictly a work of art—high and delicate art—and only an artist can tell it;
but no art is necessary in telling the comic and the witty story; anybody can do it. The art of telling
a humorous story—understand, I mean by word of mouth, not print—was created in America, and
has remained at home.

5. The humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly
suspects that there is anything funny about it; but the teller of the comic story tells you beforehand
that it is one of the funniest things he has ever heard, then tells it with eager delight, and is the first
person to laugh when he gets through. And sometimes, if he has had good success, he is so glad
and happy that he will repeat the “nub” of it and glance around from face to face, collecting
applause, and then repeat it again. It is a pathetic thing to see.

6. Very often of course, the rambling and disjointed humorous story finishes with a nub, point,
snapper, or whatever you like to call it. Then the listener must be alert, for in many cases, the teller
will divert attention from that nub by dropping it in a carefully casual and indifferent way, with the
pretense that he did not know it was a nub.

7. Artemus Ward used that trick a good deal; then when the belated audience presently caught the
joke, he would look up with innocent surprise, as if wondering what they had found to laugh at.
Dan Setchell used it before him, Nye and Riley and others use it to-day.

8. But the teller of the comic story does not slur the nub; he shouts at you--every time. And when he
prints it, in England, France, Germany and Italy, he italicizes it, puts some whooping exclamation-
points after it, and sometimes explains it in a parenthesis. All of which is very depressing, and
makes one want to renounce joking and lead a better life.
 (Adapted from Mark Twain’s essay “How to tell a story”)

Onthebasisofyourunderstandingofthepassageattempt ANYEIGHTquestionsfromtheninethat follow:

(i) What is Mark Twain’s assertion about story telling, and why does he say so?
(ii) What is the difference between a humorous story and a comic story in terms of the effect it
produces?
(iii) In which type of story does the teller repeat the end, or “nub”? What is the narrator’s opinion
about it?
(iv) How is the nub of comic stories presented in its printed form?
(v) When the disjointed humorous story finishes with a nub, the listener must be alert, because
_______________________.
(vi) Dan Setchell used the ‘nub’ trick before ____________.
(vii) A comic storyteller shouts every time instead of ________________.
(viii) The synonym of ‘hide’ as given in paragraph 5 is __________.
(ix) The synonym of ‘core’ as given in paragraph 6 is _______________.

Section B

(Grammar and Writing Skill 14 marks)

Grammar. (4 marks)

Q2. Choose the correct options from those given below and complete the sentences: (1×4=4)

i) He is _____ man who always does charity.

a) A
b) An
c) The
d) Any
ii) John said, “Does reading improve vocabulary also?”
a) John said that did reading improve vocabulary also?
b) John asked that does reading improve vocabulary also.
c) John asked if reading improved vocabulary also.
d) John asked if reading improves vocabulary also.
iii) The pair of scissors _____ on the table.
a) Is
b) Are
c) Were
d) Shall
iv) You _______ not go to the market as I have bought the groceries.
a) Dare
b) Need
c) May
d) Will
 WRITING (10 marks)

Q3. Answer any one of the following two questions

a) Your brother has turned up from abroad after his higher studies. Your all family members celebrated his arrival.
Write a diary entry describing how you gave homecoming welcome to your brother and soon that day becomes ‘A
Memorable Family Occasion’ for you. (80 to 100 words)

OR
b) You have returned to your city after spending five years in a foreign country. The city has changed
during your absence. Record in your diary the changes that have affected the lives of the people in the city in
about 80 to 100 words.

Q4. Complete the story in 120-150 words which begins as follows: (6 marks)
(a) ‘Buddy is Shaurya’s constant companion. He met him in a very unusual way. It was a -
_______________

OR
(b) Spardha went to Kerala to enjoy sea-side. When she reached the beach, she saw many children
enjoying and playing on the beach____________
Section C

LITERATURE (18 marks)

Q5. (A) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (1×3=3)

They, too, aware of sun and air and water,

Are fed by peaceful harvests, by war’s long winter starv’d.
Their hands are ours, and in their lines we read
A labour not different from our own.

1. What poetic device is used in ‘peaceful harvests’?

2.Who are ‘they’ in the above extract?
3.Who is the poet?

OR

(B) Montmorency was in it all, of course. Montmorency’s ambition in life is to get in the way and
be sworn at. If he can squirm in anywhere where he particularly is not wanted, and be a perfect
nuisance, and make people mad, and have things thrown at his head, then he feels his day has not
been wasted. To get somebody to stumble over him, and curse him steadily for an hour, is his highest
aim and object; and, when he has succeeded in
accomplishing this, his conceit becomes quite unbearable.

1. Who was Montmorency?

2. What was happening before the narrator started describing Montmorency?
3. Which word in the above extract means ‘to feel proud about oneself’?
Q6. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (1×3=3)

“Here, Olga,” he said to her, “take this gentleman to the shed and let him chop some wood.” The
beggar shrugged his shoulders as though puzzled, and irresolutely followed the cook. It was evident
from his demeanor that he had consented to go and chop wood, not because he was hungry and
wanted to earn money, but simply from shame and amour proper, because he had been taken at his
word. It was clear, too, that he was suffering from the effects of vodka, that he was unwell, and felt not
the faintest inclination to work. (1x3=3 marks)

(i) How does the beggar react to Sergei’s offer to chop wood for him in return for money?
(ii) Who did Sergei hand over the beggar to on reaching home? What were his instructions?
(iii) Why was the beggar not inclined to work?

Q7.Answer any two of the following questions in 30-40 words. (2x2=4)

i) ‘Consuming the earth, rising out of it’. What does this line mean in the poem ‘On Killing a
Tree’?
ii) Can Maria Sharapova be considered as a patriot? Substantiate your answer with examples.

iii) How would the narrator’s wife reach the island where Baba was kept?

Q8. Answer any one of the following in 100-120 words (4 marks)

“Presence of mind can be the strongest weapon in the Battle of Life.” Elucidate this quote with reference to
Gerrard in the story ‘If I Were You.’

OR

Love and harmony towards every living creature can make this world a better world. Is this statement well
explained in the poem ‘The Snake Trying’.

Q9. Answer any one of the following questions in 100-120 words. (1x4=4 marks)

How is the strong bond between the cat and the narrator in the story ‘A house is not a home’ revealed ?
Explain. How was the cat brought back to him ?
OR
Most of the teenagers today suffer from irrational fears and slip into depression like Johnsy in ‘The Last
Leaf.’ Sue, as a good friend supports Johnsy unquestioningly in coming out of this condition. According to
you, what role can the peer group play in such situations?