Class 9 English: Sample Question Paper- 1 (With Solutions) PDF Download

Class-IX
English Language And Literature (Code No. 184)
TIME: 3 Hrs.
M.M: 80

General Instructions
1. This paper is divided into two parts: A and B. All questions are compulsory.
2. Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these instructions very carefully and follow them.
3. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

Reading (20 Marks)

Q.1. Read the passage given below
1. Books are companions for people of all age groups. E-books vs printed books is like comparing joint and nuclear family systems. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. E-books are cost effective and books of all genres can be easily accessed from the internet. Font flexibility makes reading easier. Uncountable books can be stored in a single device and most importantly, it can help save trees. Packing for trips is hard enough, but it becomes doubly so when faced with the task of choosing which book to carry. The device takes a whole lot of weight off from shoulders literally. With the E-book, a reader can take hundreds of books with them on the journey, and only take up a few square inches in their carry bag.
2. Reading a printed book can save you from the health hazards of using hi-tech gadgets. For people who consider reading a book as worship, scent of its pages intoxicate their senses. The pleasure of reading a printed book and scribbling comments on the sides of the pages are unmatched. Printed books are not merely about reading, they are an experience. The joy of flipping pages and keeping bookmarks cannot be experienced in an E-book. Constantly reading on the computer screen or a mobile phone can damage the eyes. Apart from physical considerations, studies have shown that when it comes to reading comprehension, printed books are still a better choice. Literacy building in children is more effective with printed books than with an E-book because of the opportunities for interaction between the child and the parent, reading the book with the child. In fact, in E-books, there is no conversion and nothing to encourage the child to verbalise or explore using language. The research concluded that ‘click through’ added features can actually detract from the reading experience because of all the interruption.
3. This is not to say E-books do not have advantages. It can effectively serve the purpose of convenience and portability. The excitement generated around technologies such as Amazon’s Kindle has played its part in changing from page to screen. Both versions complement each other based on why and where each is being used.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY TEN questions from the twelve that follow:

(i) The advantage of E-books are :
(a) cost-effective
(b) scribbling is easier
(c) good for eyes
(d) pages can be flipped easily
Ans. (a) 

(ii) Trees can be saved if more and more people start reading __________ .
(a) printed books
(b) E-books
(c) printed magazines
(d) none of these
Ans. (b)

(iii) Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
(a) Books should be read only by youngsters
(b) Books are companions for all age groups
(c) Books increase the knowledge of its reader
(d) Books increase the vocabulary
Ans. (c)

(iv) A printed book has the following advantages :
(a) It is cost-effective
(b) It is free from any health hazard
(c) It can be more easily packed than E-book
(d) It does not need bookmarks
Ans. (b)

(v) Font flexibility is possible in __________ .
(a) printed books
(b) magazines
(c) E-books
(d) all of these
Ans. (c) 

(vi) Reading an E-book has many __________ .
(a) advantages
(b) disadvantages
(c) both (a) & (b)
(d) none of these
Ans. (c)

(vii) Printed books can save from the health hazards of using __________.
(a) paper
(b) hi-tech gadgets
(c) electronic device
(d) book-marks
Ans. (b) 

(viii) __________  is more effective with printed books than E-books.
(a) Reading a storybook
(b) Reading magazine
(c) Literacy building
(d) Saving time
Ans. (c)

(ix) A word used for a family where parents, grand parents and children live together is __________ . (para 1)
(a) joint family
(b) nuclear family
(c) genre
(d) companion
Ans. (a)

(x) The synonym of ‘enjoyment’ used in para 2 is __________ .
(a) interaction
(b) intoxicate
(c) experience
(d) pleasure
Ans. (d)

(xi) __________ causes a distraction while reading an E-book.
(a) Flipping
(b) Font
(c) ‘Click through’ features
(c) Scribbling
Ans. (c) 

(xii) Which of the following is false?
(a) E-books and printed books complement each other
(b) E-books are more convenient than printed books
(c) E-books cause strain on the eyes.
(d) E-books can not be accessed from internet.
Ans. (d)

Q.2. Read the passage given below:
Chocolate diamonds that are actually brown diamonds are compared to the well-known white diamonds, which aren’t of much worth. Diamonds are produced in mines. The best-known diamond mines are in Australia, South Africa and Russia. The largest diamond mine was discovered in 1976 in the desert of Australia near a little creek named Lake Argyle. Diamonds are created under very extreme conditions of pressure and high temperature. It is a general misunderstanding that there exist only white colourless diamonds. Actually, diamonds exist in many different colours.

Of all the diamond mines in the world, almost 80% of the diamonds produced are brownish in colour.  Because these were found in such large quantities compared to the other coloured diamonds, these were considered as low-valued diamonds, only good for the industrial sector.  But, a famous man called Le Vian came with a marketing campaign to increase the popularity of the chocolate diamond.  Instead of calling it a brown diamond, he gave it popular names like caramel, chocolate, cinnamon and cognac.  Since his marketing campaign, chocolate diamonds have become very popular.

The value of a diamond is based on its shape, brightness and colour. Because white diamonds are rare, their value is based on the fact that there are not many white diamonds found around easily. But if you look at the shape and brightness, then the brightest diamond in this world known to men is the brown diamond. Before the development of the Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia in 1986, most brown diamonds were considered worthless for jewellery; they were not even assessed on the diamond colour scale and were predominantly used for industrial purposes.

However, marketing strategies changed in the 1980s and brown diamonds have become popular gems. The change was mostly due to the supply: the Argyle mine, with its 35 million carats (7,000 kg) of diamonds per year, makes about one-third of global production of natural diamonds; 80% of Argyle diamonds are brown. The percentage of brown diamonds is lower in other mines, but it is almost always a significant part of the total production. Consequently, scientific research on causes of brown colour in diamond and ways to alter it has intensified.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY TEN questions from the twelve that follow:
(i) The best-known diamond mines are found in ______
(a) Australia, South Africa, North America
(b) South Africa, Russia, Australi
(c) Russia, Australia, North America
(d) Only Russia
Ans. (d)

(ii) Diamonds are created under:
(a) low temperature and extreme conditions of pressure
(b) normal temperature and pressure
(c) extreme conditions of pressure and high temperature
(d) high pressure and low temperature
Ans. (c) 

(iii) The value of a diamond is based on _______ .
(a) shape and brightness
(b) brightness and colour
(c) brightness, design and colour
(d) shape, colour and brightness
Ans. (b)

(iv) The white diamonds are rare because:
(A) they were considered as low value diamonds
(b) they are not found around easily
(c) Le Vian increased the popularity of chocolate diamond
(d) of their shape and brightness
Ans. (d)

(v) Brown diamonds were considered worthless for:
(a) industrial purpose
(b) marketing
(c) jewellery
(d) none of the above
Ans. (c)

(vi) Based on shape and brightness, which of the following is the brightest diamond known to the mankind?
(a) white diamond
(b) brown diamond
(c) chocolate diamond
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Ans. (d)

(vii) Find the word from the passage that means ‘a planned set of actions aimed at achieving a particular result’. (Para 2)
(a) campaign
(b) popularity
(c) cinnamon
(d) none of the above
Ans. (a)

(viii) When was the largest diamond mine first discovered?
(a) 1980
(b) 1986
(c) 1978
(d) 1976
Ans. (d)

(ix) Which of the following statements is true?
(a) Diamonds are produced in factories
(b) The brightest diamond known to men in this world is white diamond
(c) Brown diamonds became popular gems after 1980s
(d) Diamonds exist in only one colour
Ans. (c)

(x) A word which is the synonym of ‘popular’ in para 1 is _______.
(a) creek
(b) discovered
(c) extreme
(d) well-known
Ans. (d)

(xi) The word which means the same as ‘mainly’ in para 3 is _______.
(a) predominantly
(b) brightness
(c) assessment
(d) rare
Ans. (a)

(xii) Brown diamonds became popular due to _______ .
(a) marketing offers of Le Vian
(b) marketing campaigns of Le Vian
(c) its shape
(d) its appearance
Ans. (b)

Literature

Q.3. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow :
They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still, instead of moving the way they were supposed to – on a screen, you know, and then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had when they read it the first time. ‘Gee’ said Tommy, “What a waste when you’re through this book, you first throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more.”
(i) Who are ‘they ’ referred here?
(a) Tommy and his friend
(b) Margie and Tommy
(c) Margie and grandfather
(d) Tommy and grandfather
Ans. (b)

(ii) The pages of the book were not ______.
(a) yellow
(b) crinkly
(c) white
(d) smooth
Ans. (c)

(iii) ‘They ’ found it funny to read words that ______.
(a) told a story
(b) moved
(c) stood still
(d) were on screen
Ans. (c)

(iv) The word which means the same as ‘wrinkled’ is ______.
(a) awfully
(b) crinkly
(c) still
(d) instead
Ans. (b)

(v) ‘They ’ had found ______ .
(a) grandfather’s book
(b) a magazine
(c) newspaper
(d) a journal
Ans. (a)

OR

They began in a light-hearted spirit, evidently intending to show me how to do it. I made no comment, I only waited with the exception of George, Harris is the worst packer in this world and I looked at the piles of plates and cups and kettles and bottles, and jars and pies, and stoves and cakes and tomatoes, etc. and felt that the things would soon become exciting. It did, they started with breaking a cup that was the first thing they did. They did that just to show you what they could do and to get you interested.

(i) What does ‘they ’ refer to in the first line?
(a) George, Harris
(b) Jerome, Montmorency
(c) Montmorency, George
(d) Jerome, Harris
Ans. (a)

(ii) Which of the following statements is TRUE?
(a) ‘I’ in these lines is George
(b) ‘They ’ wanted to show their packing skills to the narrator
(c) Montmorency helped them a lot in packing
(d) The narrator had done all the packing
Ans. (b)

(iii) Who was the worst packer, according to the writer?
(a) Jerome
(b) George and Harris
(c) George
(d) All of the above
Ans. (b)

(iv) What does the word ‘pie’ mean?
(a) a type of pizza
(b) a dough of flour, fat and water
(c) baked dishes
(d) dish of meat, fish or fruit covered with pastry
Ans. (d)

(v) The first thing done by ‘them’ was ______.
(a) breaking a plate
(b) breaking a cup
(c) peeling a banana
(d) stepping on butter
Ans. (b)

Q.4. Read the extract given below and attempt ANY ONE by answering the questions that follow:
It takes much time to kill a tree,
Not a simple job of the knife
Will do it. It has grown
Slowly consuming the earth,
Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water,
And out of its leprous hide
Sprouting leaves. 

(i) Who is the poet of the above lines?
(a) W.W.E. Ross
(b) Gieve Patel
(c) Robert Frost
(d) Subramania Bharati
Ans. (b)

(ii) It is ______. to kill trees.
(a) easy
(b) difficult
(c) simple
(d) not difficult
Ans. (b)

(iii) What does the poet compare the bark of the tree to?
(a) sunlight
(b) leprous hide
(c) simple job
(d) consuming the earth
Ans. (b)

(iv) Find the name of tool, from the passage, that is used to cut things.
(a) knife
(b) feeding
(c) crust
(d) none of the above
Ans. (a)

(v) The antonym of ‘falling’ in the given lines is ______.
(a) rising
(b) absorbing
(c) crust
(d) feeding
Ans. (a)

OR
He glides through the water away
from the stroke. O! let him go
over the water into the reeds to hide
Without hurt. Small and green
He is harmless even to children. 

(i) Why is the snake going into the water?
(a) to throw the water away
(b) to hide in the reeds
(c) to relax
(d) none of the above
Ans. (b) 

(ii) Find a word that is opposite to ‘seek’.
(a) stroke
(b) glides
(c) hide
(d) reeds
Ans. (c)

(iii) ‘He’ in these lines refers to ______ .
(a) poet
(b) boy
(c) snake
(d) animal
Ans. (c)

(iv) The snake has been described as ______.
(a) harmless
(b) small and green
(c) harmless and green
(d) harmless, small and green
Ans. (d)

(v) These lines have been taken from the poem ______.
(a) On Killing a Tree
(b) A snake trying
(c) The Road Not Taken
(d) Wind
Ans. (b)

Grammar

Q.5. Read the Cloze passage given below and choose the correct option to fill in the blanks:
Richard Clayton Harwick’s happy family life ends when his father passes away and his mother marries Mr. Coldstone. His stepfather is strict and imposes strict rules on him. Richard feels abused_____(i)_____a prisoner in his own home. Thinking his mother and sister will be happier without his unhappy face around,  he_____(ii)_____from home. Unfortunately, his mother and sister are heartbroken. When they pass away, Richard inherits the house and the estate. When Claudia’s parents split up, she is upset. Colin relates well to Jack, his mother’s boyfriend. Jack looks after him and Colin is able to talk to him about school. But Colin’s mother decides to leave Jack. Ralph’s story entitled, A Tale of Three Stepmothers, is not a tale of woe but, as he puts it, rather complicated. He_____(iii)_____a number of siblings and half-siblings, step grandparents and three stepmothers, not counting his father and mother.

(i) Find the appropriate word for blank (i)
(a) like
(b) for
(c) both
(d) to
Ans. (a)

(ii) Find the appropriate word for blank (ii)
(a) runs away
(b) run away
(c) ran away
(d) running away
Ans. (a)

(iii) Find the appropriate word for blank (iii)
(a) have
(b) had
(c) has
(d) was
Ans. (c)

Q.6. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks to complete the dialogue between Shyam and Rahul: 
Shyam meets Rahul at his residence on his way to school.
Shyam:  Hi Rahul. _____(i)_____ ?
Rahul: I am good. Thank you.
Shyam: Fine, thanks. _____(ii)_____ ?
Rahul: It is only half past eight. By the way, have you finished the assignment?
Shyam: No, I haven’t finished the assignment. _____(iii)_____ ? I will be ready in about ten minutes.
Rahul: Sure, Why not?
Shyam: Thank you very much.

(i) Find the appropriate word for blank (i)
(a) Who are you?
(b) How are you?
(c) What are you?
(d) Where are you?
Ans. (b)

(ii) Find the appropriate word for blank (ii)
(a) What is it time?
(b) What time it is?
(c) What time is it?
(d) Which time it is?
Ans. (c)

(iii) Find the appropriate word for blank (i)
(a) Will you wait for me?
(b) Is you wait for me?
(c) Have you wait for me?
(d) Did you wait for me?
Ans. (a)

Q.7. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option for ANY FOUR of the six sentences given below : 
(i) Sohan told Mohan that ______ going to school.
(a) I am
(b) he was
(c) he were
(d) they was
Ans. (b)

(ii) He worked hard ______ he failed.
(a) and
(b) because
(c) but
(d) or
Ans. (c)

(iii) Gold jewellery worth one crore ______ missing.
(a) was found
(b) were found
(c) found
(d) finds
Ans. (a)

(iv) He told me to sit down and ______.
(a) he did
(b) I did
(c) she sit
(d) he sits
Ans. (b)

(v) The old lady ______ the police.
(a) call
(b) calls
(c) called
(d) was called
Ans. (c)

(vi) Hillary Clinton was ______ 67th U.S. secretary of state.
(a) the
(b) a
(c) an
(d) some
Ans. (a)

Part-B (40 Marks)

Writing

Q.8. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words :
Write a diary entry describing your meeting with any celebrity of your choice.
Ans: 
24 June, 20××
10:00 p.m.
Tuesday
Dear Diary,
Unbelievable! I am in Brazil to watch the FIFA Cup as I was the winner of the Vodafone Super Fan Contest which entitled me to a trip to Brazil to watch the match between Argentina and Germany. My favourite hero Messi was playing and I was so excited to see him in person. Within 2 minutes of the starting of the game, Messi scored a goal. The whole crowd started screaming and cheering him up. At last, Messi scored 2 goals and Argentina won by 3-2. After the match, I also got a chance to shake hands with him and got the matching football with his signature. I could not believe that the man whom I used to watch on TV was in front of me. Oh! What a great day it was. I can never forget this day.
Good Night Diary!
Kavya

OR

Write a descriptive paragraph on Koneru Humpy, the Grandmaster. You can take the help from the clues given below:
Born on March 31, 1987… ‘Hampi’ means champion… Koneru-family name… father- first coach, 4th place in Indian under 18 championship in 1995, IM title in 1992 and May 2002, record-2002 to 2008 – youngest woman to became grandmaster… Awards – Arjuna Award 2003; Padmashri Award 2007 and Raja Lakshmi Award 2008… Queen of 64 squares.
Ans.
Koneru Humpy
Koneru Humpy, known as the queen of 64 squares, was born on March 31, 1987. She was originally named ‘Hampi’ which means champion but later changed to Humpy. Koneru is her family name which she writes before her name. Her first coach was her father who introduced her to the game. She won many games under his guidance. She bagged her first prize in 1995 when she won the 4th place I Indian under 18 championship. She acquired IM title in 1992 and May 2002. She held the record from 2002 to 2008 for the youngest woman ever to became a grandmaster. She received many awards like Arjuna Award in 2003, Padmashri Award in 2007 and Raja Lakshmi Award in 2008.

Q. 9. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words:
Write a short story on the basis of the given clues.
Some friends at a party talked about ghosts. One of them was particularly loud in his scorn of such things. The rest resolved to play a joke on him. They went to a nearby tree in the evening and .........
Ans.
Pranks
Some friends at a party talked about ghosts. One of them was particularly loud in his scorn of such things. The rest resolved to play a joke on him. They went to a nearby tree in the evening and sat under it making plans as to how they could scare their friend Alok by pretending themselves to be ghosts. As the night drew, they hid themselves in his house and started making noise. Then they pulled out the fuse and there was total darkness in the house. Then one of the friends attired in white clothes was made to stand on the gate and was made to roam about in the house with a candle in his hand. On seeing the ghost, Alok got scared and started recollecting the stories his friends were telling at the party. He almost believed that ghosts existed. As soon as he came outside from his room, he saw that the things were floating up in the air, actually, his friends had fixed fishing rods on the things and were dangling them from the balcony. Alok was so scared that he called up his neighbours. As soon as the friends heard the conversation, they slowly slipped out from the house putting back the fuse. As the neighbours came inside, they searched the whole house but were unable to find anything. The next day, Alok was very scared, narrated the incidents to his friends, who were not able to control themselves, burst out into laughter and told him that it was his own group who was playing pranks on him.

OR
Develop a story with the help of the following hints: A foolish crow-found a piece of bread — a clever fox-felt greedy — praise the, crow — beautiful body — sweet voice — opened mouth — piece of bread fell down.
Ans.
A Foolish Crow

One day, a foolish crow who was very hungry was flying in search of food. While flying over a house he saw a piece of bread on the verandah of the house. He, immediately flew down to pick it up. He quickly grabbed it and flew away to a tree in the nearby village. A clever fox, who was also hungry saw the piece of bread in the beak of the crow. He felt greedy. He also wanted that bread and started planning as to how he could get it from the crow. He quickly devised a plan to take the bread from him. He started praising the crow’s beautiful body and voice. He said that no other bird had such a beautiful body as yours and no one could sing as sweetly as you. The clever fox said that since the crow could sing so melodiously, why not start singing so that the fox could hear it. The crow who was unaware of the fox’s clever plans, was so overjoyed by listening to the fox’s praise that it started singing. Without thinking, he opened his mouth to sing and the piece of bread fell down straight into the mouth of the fox who ran away with it.

Literature

Q.10. Answer ANY TWO of the following in 20-30 words each from (A) & (B) respectively:
(A) (i) Tommy thought the old books were funny and a big waste. Why?
(ii) How does the snake protect itself?
(iii) What reason does Lushkoff give to Sergei for his telling lies?
Ans. (A) (i) Tommy thought that the old books were a waste because the words stood still and did not run. He also thought that they were a big waste because they could not be reused like the screen of their mechanical teacher.
(ii) 

Value Points:
Moves with sudden curving gliding through the water to protect himself from the attack.

Detailed Answer 
The snake moved with sudden curving gliding through the water, and that is how it protected itself from the attack.

(iii) Lushkoff told that he was lying and that neither was he a student nor a school teacher, rather he used to sing in Russian choir where he was expelled because of his habit of drinking and as such he received no alms if he told the truth.

(B) (i) What advice did the Guru give to the disciple before going out of the city?
(ii) ‘She is a true and faithful friend.’ Comment.
(iii) Why was the Happy Prince not really happy?
Ans. (B) (i) The Guru told his disciples that it was dangerous to stay in the kingdom of fools. He said that there was no justice, only foolish, unpredictable behaviour. According to him, the kingdom would not last long.

(ii) 

Value points:

• Loves her, in state of illness looked after Johnsy like a mother
• Gets her out of depression.
• Happy at Johnsy ’s recovery.

Detailed Answer
She loved Johnsy and looked after her like a mother in her state of illness. She helped her get out of depression and was happy at Johnsy’s recovery.

(iii) When the ‘Happy Prince’ was alive, he did not know what tears and sorrow were. After his death, he could see the ugliness and misery of the city. Therefore, he weeps and is not really happy.

Q.11. Answer ANY TWO questions in 40-50 words each from (A) & (B) respectively :
(A) (i) Why did Kezia avoid her father?
(ii) What do you know about A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s family after reading the lesson ‘My childhood’?
(iii) How was the problem of what to do with Bruno finally solved?
Ans: A.
(i) Kezia avoided her father because according to her, he was an emotionless person. He never spoke to Kezia lovingly and calmly. He scolded Kezia and reprimanded her for making mistakes. Kezia stammered in front of her father since he was a very huge and giant like figure too far-fetched from the image of a father full of warmth and affection.
(ii) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam tells us that his family was a middle-class Tamil family from Rameshwaram. His father Jainulabdeen was not much educated, wasn’t rich but was generous, wise, simple man but very strict and severe. His mother Ashiamma was a generous lady and used to feed an unlimited number of people in their home. Kalam’s family respected all religions. They took part in Hindu festivals. His mother and grandmother used to tell him stories from Ramayana. They always showered their love on their children and never forced their thoughts on them.
(iii) 

Value Points: Writer’s wife loved Bruno deeply. After he returned, a special home was made. Straw was placed inside the box with some playthings.

Detailed Answer
The author’s wife loved Bruno deeply and missed him very much. So, Bruno was driven back to Bengaluru. An island, twenty feet long and fifteen wide surrounded by a dry moat was made for Bruno. He was kept there in a wooden box with some straws in it. His toys were also put back for him to play with.

(B) (i) How did the coming back of the cat bring happiness in the life of the author?
(ii) During their conversation Lushkoff reveals that Sergei’s cook, Olga, is responsible for the positive change in him. How has Olga saved Lushkoff?
(iii) How did the swallow prove to be the Happy Prince’s true friend?
Ans. (B) (i) The author and the cat missed each other very much. The absence of the cat from the author’s life had made him gloomy. Even the kind lady who had found the cat knew it was loved and sorely missed. After the author’s house was renovated and the kind lady who had found his cat had located the owner’s address, the return of the cat was possible. It filled the writer’s heart with happiness and the normal phase of his life started again. With the return of the cat, the feeling of loss and tragedy seemed to diminish. The author was overwhelmed by the kindness shown by the lady by returning his cat back to him.
(ii) 

Value Points: Olga chops wood for Lushkoff, gets money for him. Olga’s sympathy and nobility changed him, now becomes notary, earning 35 rouble a month.

Detailed Answer
Olga was a cook in Sergei’s house. Olga was a lady who was very good at heart. She played an important role in transforming Lushkoff. She realised Lushkoff’s condition and tried to improve him by criticising him. She went through great misery and cried a lot for him. She used to even chop wood for him. Just the sight of Olga made Lushkoff stop drinking. Olga’s sympathy and nobility changed him and he became a notary, earning 35 roubles a month.
(iii) Even when he wanted to go to Egypt, the swallow did not go but stayed with the Happy Prince and rested at his feet. When the Prince asked him for help, he helped him by taking out his eyes and giving them to the needy, thereby the Prince became blind. The swallow started feeling pity for the Prince and so confirmed his decision of staying with the Prince. He used to narrate the scene around the Prince’s statue to him. Even when winters arrived and it was cold, he agreed to die but didn’t leave his place.

Q.12. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words :
(A) Hatred, jealousy and misdeeds are the dangerous pollutants of our own Earth. Discuss with reference to ‘No Men are foreign’.
Ans. (A) 

• The world is a global village, a union and a singular entity. It may be possible that the people on the earth may belong to different nations, castes and creeds, they may speak different languages and vernaculars, they may be followers of different religions but still, they are equal. 
• Each one whosoever lives on the earth is our brother, so we should follow the path of fraternity. If we are in the close vicinity of one another, we can enjoy the peace and share the joys, which nature has showered upon us. 
• But if we do not follow this path and start a war against our own brothers, we are polluting our own beautiful earth. Our hatred, jealousy and misdeeds have no limit which are a serious threat to humanity. 
• So, it is our responsibility that we must keep in our mind, the values, ethics and dignity of humanity. If we follow this path, we can make our earth a beautiful place to live in.

OR
(B) Albert Einstein's mother thought of him as a freak. Explain in about 100-120 words as to why she thought so?
Ans. 

Value Points:

• Lacked Trust
• Acceptance
• Awareness and Tolerance

Detailed Answer

• Albert Einstein could not speak for about two and a half years. And when he learnt to speak, he uttered every word twice. 
• Even his playmates called him Brother Boring. His head was of abnormally large size. So, his mother thought of him as a freak. 
• Everywhere among his playmates as well as at school, he was regarded stupid and his headmaster considered him to be good for nothing. He felt suffocated and tired in the school due to its strict regimentation. 
• What to say of others, his mother lacked trust in his potentials. She should have accepted her son’s different nature. 
• Later his qualities of tolerance and awareness of global issues made him a world-famous personality which proved everyone wrong, including his mother who thought of him as a freak.

Q.13. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words :
(A) Why do you think it was an easy task for the wise guru to evade the execution and gain freedom in the kingdom of fools? Elucidate in about 100-120 words.

Ans. 

(A) 

Value Points:

• His presence of mind.
• Lack of commonsense in the kingdom.
• No respect for human right/citizenship.

Detailed Answer

• The king ordered to execute the disciple. He prayed to his Guru to save him. The Guru heard his prayer in his vision and appeared to rescue his disciple. 
• First, he whispered something in his disciple’s ears and then asked the king to execute him first and the disciple following suit, which puzzled the king. 
• Knowing the secret, the king fell into the trap of his temptation and wanted to be the king in his rebirth. 
• He went into the prison at night and set the guru and disciple free. In their place, the king and his minister disguised themselves as the guru and disciple got executed. Thus, the Guru managed to save his disciple.

OR

(B) Prashant acted as a hero and proved himself as a natural leader. Explain.
Ans. 

Value Points:

• A true leader.
• Dedicated worker.
• A very organised person with excellent managerial skills.
• Helpful in nature.

Detailed Answer
Prashant, a 19 years old boy, decided to act as the leader of his village because he felt no one was in a condition to take the initiative to bring back life in the village after the havoc created by the storm. He organised a group of youths and put pressure on the village merchant to provide them with rice for the survivors. He arranged food for the villagers, put up a polythene shelter for the orphaned children, persuaded women to work in the food-for-work programme started by an NGO, organised cricket matches for the children and encouraged adoption.