Ques 1: Read the following passage carefully:
The Ajanta caves, we were told, lay in the side of a ravine in wild and desolate country some 350 miles to the northwest, at the extreme tip of Hyderabad state where it touches the Bombay Province. Properly speaking they were not caves at all/ but temples which had been excavated from the living rock by Buddhist monks.
These monks had first come to the ravine somewhere in the second century before Christ and they had begun by hacking out the rock by hand and hurling it down into the river below.
Then/ probably with large mirrors to reflect the sunshine from the ravine outside/ they set about the decoration of the walls/ the doorways and the ceilings. They continued for the next eight hundred years/ always painting and sculpturing Lord Buddha/ but setting him against an idyllic background of folk tales and the everyday life of their own time.
In much the same way as in the Italian Renaissance which over a thousand years later/ the work was subsidised by the wealthy merchants and the Princes of the surrounding countryside.
On the basis of your reading of the above passage answer the following questions:
(i) Who came to the ravines in the second century before Christ?
(ii) What did the monks use to reflect light into the caves?
(iii) What did the caves depict?
(iv) The work was subsidised by the wealthy merchants. 1 (Change the voice)
(v) Who subsidised the monk's work?
(vi) Give the adjective form of 'reflection'.
(vii) Find the homophone of 'tail' from the passage.
(viii) Would you like to see the caves? If so/ why? If not/ why not?
Ans: (i) The Buddhist monks came to the ravines in the second century before Christ.
(ii) The monks used large mirrors to reflect light into the caves.
(iii) The caves depicted Lord Buddha and Buddhist folk tales and everyday life of the monks.
(iv) The wealthy merchants subsidised the work.
(v) It was subsidised by the wealthy merchants and the Princes of the surrounding countryside.
(vi) Reflective.
(vii) Tal
(viii) I would surely like to see caves. The caves are quite a mysterious feature of natural physical formation.
The paintings and sculptures on the walls of the caves are a part of our rich cultural heritage.
Ques 2: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
One would imagine that at the very sight of the panther/ deer/ antelopes/ and its other preys would just run for their lives. Nothing of the sort. They all stand their ground and make such a loud noise that the panther is left with no other choice except to leave quietly. I have seen a tiny chital babe standing in the middle of an opening in the forest, stamping its feet on the ground and shooing away a tiger.
With the white of its erect tail showing, it kept up its shrill call until the tiger made itself scarce. No tiger in its senses would attempt to catch such an impertinent brat, just as you would not dream of catching an offending crow cawing away in your verandah.
While the panther sticks to cover and hugs the edge of the forest, the same animals, on the other hand, like to assemble right out in open vast grazing grounds.
Open spaces which the panther carefully avoids, are what the game animals deliberately seek. It is difficult to describe the pandemonium kicked up by various animals when they spot or suspect a panther around. The chital strikes a shrill note, the kakar emits a deafening bark and the sambar rings a bell.
The peacock on its perch, the jungle fowl on the ground, and the monkey on treetops, all join in the chorus of condemnation of the panther. They curse the panther in their own inimitable language.
The resulting confusion of sounds is so irritating to the sharp ears of the panther that it is left with no other option except to go away.
The panther has thus to deal with its ever alert and watchful associates who show no mercy. It is a fight between finesse and flight between clever attack and skilful defence. Contrary to the common belief, the panther never springs upon its prey. It stalks as close to its victim as it can manage, and then makes the final dash by rushing at it at a lightning speed.
(i) Answer the following questions:
(a) What strategy do animals like deer, antelopes, etc., adopt to drive away the panther?
(b) How do the panther and the game animals (deer, antelopes, etc.) react to open spaces?
(c) What effect does the loud noise made by birds and animals have on the panther?
(d) How does the panther kill its prey?
Ans: (i) (a) They stand where they are and make such a loud and irritating sound that the panther runs away.
(b) Panther sticks to cover and hugs the edge of the forest. Other animals like to assemble right out in open grazing grounds.
(c) The sound is so irritating that the panther cannot stand it and goes away.
(d) It never spring upon its prey, it stalks close to its victim and then makes a final dash rushing at it at a lightning speed.
Ques 3: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
One would imagine that at the very sight of the panther/ deer/ antelopes/ and its other preys would just run for their lives. Nothing of the sort. They all stand their ground and make such a loud noise that the panther is left with no other choice except to leave quietly.
I have seen a tiny chital babe standing in the middle of an opening in the forest, stamping its feet on the ground and shooing away a tiger. With the white of its erect tail showing, it kept up its shrill call until the tiger made itself scarce.
No tiger in its senses would attempt to catch such an impertinent brat, just as you would not dream of catching an offending crow cawing away in your verandah.
While the panther sticks to cover and hugs the edge of the forest, the same animals, on the other hand, like to assemble right out in open vast grazing grounds. Open spaces which the panther carefully avoids, are what the game animals deliberately seek.
It is difficult to describe the pandemonium kicked up by various animals when they spot or suspect a panther around. The chital strikes a shrill note, the kakar emits a deafening bark and the sambar rings a bell. The peacock on its perch, the jungle fowl on the ground, and the monkey on treetops, all join in the chorus of condemnation of the panther. They curse the panther in their own inimitable language.
The resulting confusion of sounds is so irritating to the sharp ears of the panther that it is left with no other option except to go away.
The panther has thus to deal with its ever alert and watchful associates who show no mercy.
It is a fight between finesse and flight between clever attack and skilful defence. Contrary to the common belief, the panther never springs upon its prey. It stalks as close to its victim as it can manage, and then makes the final dash by rushing at it at a lightning speed.
(ii) Find meanings of the words given below with the help of the options that follow;
(a) shrill (Para 1)
(A) (i) rude
(B) (ii) high
(C) (iii) offensive
(D) (iv) terrible
Ans: B
Ques 4: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
One would imagine that at the very sight of the panther/ deer/ antelopes/ and its other preys would just run for their lives. Nothing of the sort. They all stand their ground and make such a loud noise that the panther is left with no other choice except to leave quietly.
I have seen a tiny chital babe standing in the middle of an opening in the forest, stamping its feet on the ground and shooing away a tiger. With the white of its erect tail showing, it kept up its shrill call until the tiger made itself scarce.
No tiger in its senses would attempt to catch such an impertinent brat, just as you would not dream of catching an offending crow cawing away in your verandah.
While the panther sticks to cover and hugs the edge of the forest, the same animals, on the other hand, like to assemble right out in open vast grazing grounds. Open spaces which the panther carefully avoids, are what the game animals deliberately seek.
It is difficult to describe the pandemonium kicked up by various animals when they spot or suspect a panther around. The chital strikes a shrill note, the kakar emits a deafening bark and the sambar rings a bell. The peacock on its perch, the jungle fowl on the ground, and the monkey on treetops, all join in the chorus of condemnation of the panther. They curse the panther in their own inimitable language.
The resulting confusion of sounds is so irritating to the sharp ears of the panther that it is left with no other option except to go away.
The panther has thus to deal with its ever alert and watchful associates who show no mercy.
It is a fight between finesse and flight between clever attack and skilful defence. Contrary to the common belief, the panther never springs upon its prey. It stalks as close to its victim as it can manage, and then makes the final dash by rushing at it at a lightning speed.
(b) deliberately (Para 2)
(A) (i) immediately
(B) (ii) cleverly
(C) (iii) intentionally
(D) (iv) naughtily
Ans: C
Ques 5: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
One would imagine that at the very sight of the panther/ deer/ antelopes/ and its other preys would just run for their lives. Nothing of the sort. They all stand their ground and make such a loud noise that the panther is left with no other choice except to leave quietly.
I have seen a tiny chital babe standing in the middle of an opening in the forest, stamping its feet on the ground and shooing away a tiger. With the white of its erect tail showing, it kept up its shrill call until the tiger made itself scarce.
No tiger in its senses would attempt to catch such an impertinent brat, just as you would not dream of catching an offending crow cawing away in your verandah.
While the panther sticks to cover and hugs the edge of the forest, the same animals, on the other hand, like to assemble right out in open vast grazing grounds. Open spaces which the panther carefully avoids, are what the game animals deliberately seek.
It is difficult to describe the pandemonium kicked up by various animals when they spot or suspect a panther around. The chital strikes a shrill note, the kakar emits a deafening bark and the sambar rings a bell. The peacock on its perch, the jungle fowl on the ground, and the monkey on treetops, all join in the chorus of condemnation of the panther. They curse the panther in their own inimitable language.
The resulting confusion of sounds is so irritating to the sharp ears of the panther that it is left with no other option except to go away.
The panther has thus to deal with its ever alert and watchful associates who show no mercy.
It is a fight between finesse and flight between clever attack and skilful defence. Contrary to the common belief, the panther never springs upon its prey. It stalks as close to its victim as it can manage, and then makes the final dash by rushing at it at a lightning speed.
(c) condemnation (Para 3)
(A) (i) disapproval
(B) (ii) dismissal
(C) (iii) revenge
(D) (iv) annoyance
Ans: D
Ques 6: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
One would imagine that at the very sight of the panther/ deer/ antelopes/ and its other preys would just run for their lives. Nothing of the sort. They all stand their ground and make such a loud noise that the panther is left with no other choice except to leave quietly.
I have seen a tiny chital babe standing in the middle of an opening in the forest, stamping its feet on the ground and shooing away a tiger. With the white of its erect tail showing, it kept up its shrill call until the tiger made itself scarce.
No tiger in its senses would attempt to catch such an impertinent brat, just as you would not dream of catching an offending crow cawing away in your verandah.
While the panther sticks to cover and hugs the edge of the forest, the same animals, on the other hand, like to assemble right out in open vast grazing grounds. Open spaces which the panther carefully avoids, are what the game animals deliberately seek.
It is difficult to describe the pandemonium kicked up by various animals when they spot or suspect a panther around. The chital strikes a shrill note, the kakar emits a deafening bark and the sambar rings a bell. The peacock on its perch, the jungle fowl on the ground, and the monkey on treetops, all join in the chorus of condemnation of the panther. They curse the panther in their own inimitable language.
The resulting confusion of sounds is so irritating to the sharp ears of the panther that it is left with no other option except to go away.
The panther has thus to deal with its ever alert and watchful associates who show no mercy.
It is a fight between finesse and flight between clever attack and skilful defence. Contrary to the common belief, the panther never springs upon its prey. It stalks as close to its victim as it can manage, and then makes the final dash by rushing at it at a lightning speed.
(d) associates (Para 4)
(A) (i) rivals
(B) (ii) neighbours
(C) (iii) superiors
(D) (iv) partners
Ans: A
Ques 7: Read the telephone conversation between Suresh and his neighbour's brother, Umesh from Jammu.
Umesh is reaching Delhi by Jammu Mail. He wants his brother to take him from the Railway Station. Write a message to inform Krishna.
Umesh: Is that Suresh there?
Suresh: Yes, I am here. What is good news?
Umesh: Will you please deliver a small message to Krishna, your neighbour?
Suresh: Yes, why not, I know Krishna personally. A few minutes earlier he was sipping tea with me.
How did you fare in the papers?
Umesh: Yes, I am all okay. I have done my papers very well. Please request my brother Krishna to come to the Railway Station by car in the evening. I have a lot of luggage.
Ans:
MESSAGE
15th July, 20.....
11.00 p.m.
Krishna
Here is a telephonic message for you from your elder brother Umesh from Jammu. He is arriving with a lot of luggage by Jammu Mail today in the evening. Please take your car and receive him at the station.
Suresh boys and girls keep chatting on phone for long hours, thereby wasting their precious time as well as parents hard-earned money. No doubt, mobile phones are a blessing, but only if used judiciously. It all depends how we use our mobiles. It is in our own hands to make it a boon or a bane.
Ques 8: Write a paragraph in about 100-120 words on the given topic: 'Mobiles Everywhere'
OR
People waste a lot of money in decoration and food during wedding ceremony. Write an article saying that the money spent unnecessarily on decoration and pomp and show can be spent elsewhere with proper use. You are Tarun.
Ans:
Mobiles Everywhere
Mobile phones are now everywhere. These are with everyone every minute. Mobile phones have become very cheap, so it is no more a problem to have them. The biggest advantage is that these can be carried anywhere. We can talk to a distant person within seconds. You just have to dial his phone number. Undoubtedly, mobile phones are a big help but these can become bad and harmful if used unwisely. For example, bad characters are also using mobile phones for wicked purposes. Young
OR
Decoration A Waste of Money
(By-Tarun)
(Class VIII)
In India we celebrate every auspicious occasion with great devotion and dedication. Every happy moment is pious. We make the occasion more welcoming by decorating the place but at times we over-do the things. Especially on weddings we see that people spend so much on decoration which is not required. It is their way to flaunt their wealth and show their social status but they forget that with simple decoration also the moments can be enjoyed and made equally pious whereas this money being spent on decoration can be used for other social causes. If one starts doing this many hungry mouths will be fed and many will enjoy a few good moments of life. Therefore if thought positively the money spent on pomp and show of decorations can be stopped.
Ques 9: Read the outlines of a story given below. Write it in full using these outlines and your own ideas.
Assign a suitable title to it:
Outlines-King of the forest kills many animals?those escaped in terror hare's turn tells lion about another lion in forest? lion wants to see him and kill him hare takes the lion to a deep well lion sees his reflection jumps into the well thinking it is the other lion.
OR
Complete the story in your own words (200-words):
Every morning it was the same thing for Amit Sharma. He'd put on a pot of coffee and got dressed as he waited for the coffee to brew. But today, things would be different....................
Ans:
The Hare and the Lion.
Once a lion, the king of the forest, posed a great threat to all other beasts and animals. He killed many animals whenever he was hungry. The animals were much terrified. It had become impossible for them to leave their dens. One day they held a meeting and went to the lion. They said to him, O brave king We are your slaves. Have pity on us. Please don't kill us. We shall send you one animal every day.
The lion agreed. Daily one animal was sent to the lion. The animals were no longer afraid to wander about; their number was steadily decreasing. One day, it was a hare's turn. He was very clever. He thought of a plan to save himself and the other animals. He reached the lion very late. The lion was furious. He asked him the reason for his late arrival.
The hare said to him, Your Majesty, another lion has come in the forest. He wants to impose his authority on us. He does not listen when we tell him that we are the loyal slaves of Your Majesty. He held me on the way.
The lion became all the more furious with rage. Show me that lion. I will kill him, he roared.
The clever hare led the lion to a deep well and said, Sir, he lives inside. The lion looked into the well and saw his own image in the water. He mistook his image for another lion-his enemy. He at once jumped into the well to kill that lion. The well was very deep, so the lion was drowned and the other animals were saved.
OR
As Amit was pouring his coffee into the cup, his younger daughter of 8 years suddenly came and caught her father. Due to this, the coffee got spilt on his clothes. He was highly annoyed and slapped his daughter. For the next 15 minutes has was shouting at his daughter and at his wife who came in between.
As a result, he got late for his office. He tried to drive his bike speedily so as to cover up the time. At one place, he nearly missed getting into an accident. In the office, his boss also scolded him and ultimately nothing went well the whole day. Due to a small incident, Amit had ruined his day by not reacting properly to the situation.
If he had taken this small incident lightly and had not mode it a big issue and had changed his clothes and went to his office on time, then neither his small daughter would have cried, nor he would have driven speedily to the office. The accident could have been averted and the boss would have also treated him well. Hence, ultimately it is our reaction to the situation which decides our future.
Ques 10: Change the following sentences into indirect speech:
(i) He asked, "Do I have to do it?"
(ii) "Will you be at the party" he asked her.
(iii) Jose said/ "Hot air rises to the top."
(iv) "Are you crazy" She asked him.
Ans: (i) He asked if he had to do it.
(ii) He asked her if she would be at the party.
(iii) Jose said that hot air rises to the top.
(iv) She asked him if he was crazy.
Ques 11: Read the following stanza and answer the questions given below:
When I returned from Lyonnesse
With magic in my eyes,
All marked with mute surmise
My radiance rare and fathomless,
When I returned from Lyonnesse
With magic in my eyes.
(i) What was in the poet's eyes when he returned from Lyonnesse?
(ii) What did the people note in the poet's eyes?
(iii) Was the poet happy or sad?
(iv) Identify the poetic device used in above lines.
Ans: (i) The poet had a magic in his eyes when he returned from Lyonnesse.
(ii) People noticed a rare shine and depth in the poet's eyes.
(iii) The poet was happy for the magical change in him.
(iv) Alteration/Repetition.
Ques 12: Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
"Pa says it would be ungrateful to leave 'it' to starve". Doc Wilson said, "That's right, Ma'am Nothing in the world comes quite free. The boy's right and his daddy's right." Mill-Wheel said, "He can ride back with me. I'll help him find it."
(i) Whom does the word 'it' refer to?
(ii) In what matter were the boy and his daddy right?
(iii) Where did the boy ride with Mill-wheel?
(iv) To whom is the boy talking to?
Ans: (i) The word it refers to the fawn.
(ii) The boy and his daddy were right in the decision of bringing the fawn home.
(iii) The boy rode to the forest in search of the fawn with Mill-Wheel.
(iv) The boy is talking to his mom.
Ques 13: What is the scientist's message for the disabled?
Ans: Stephen Hawking's message for the disabled people is that they should concentrate on what they are good at. Olympics for the handicapped or disabled People are a waste of time.
Ques 14: Give three reasons that helped the British to subdue Indian Princess.
Ans: Three reasons that helped the British to subdue Indian were the short-sightedness of Indian Princes, taking help of British rulers to help them against their rivalries and the superstitious beliefs of the Indians.
Ques 15: How did Jody take care of the fawn?
Ans: Jody took care of the fawn by feeding it with his own share of milk, when he saw that the fawn was unable to drink milk from gourd, he dipped his hand in milk and put it in the fawn's mouth. It sucked it and was content.
Ques 16: Why did Penny Baxter allow Jody to go find the Fawn and raise it?
Ans: Penny Baxter allowed Jody to go and find the fawn and raise it because he had killed its mother to save his life. The fawn was orphaned and it was ungrateful to leave it to starve.
Ques 17: How did Bepin Babu try to decide who was right, his memory or Parimal Ghose?
Ans: Bepin Babu decided to talk to Dinesh Mukherji to decide whether his memory was right or Parimal Ghose. He had never been to Ranchi but Parimal Ghose was insisting that he had.
Ques 18: Was the Gaint happy or sad over the state of the garden?
Ans: The Giant was surely very sad. He could not infer why the spring and summer never visited his garden. Even the autumn gave golden fruit to every garden except the Giant's where winter reigned the year round.
Ques 19: The camel said 'Hump' repeatedly. How did it affect him?
Ans: The camel said Humph repeatedly as an answer to whatever question put to him. Ibis idle nature brought in a round mass or hump on his back. The camel was very proud of his back, so this affected him deeply.
Ques 20: How did Ranji and Suraj become friends?
Ans: Suraj put his arm lovingly around Ranji and said, we are friends now, yes. They looked at each other honest, unflinching eyes, and in that moment, love and understanding were born. We are friends, said Ranji.
Ques 21: What sort of things did Jaya and children like to collect and what did they do with those things?
Ans: Jaya along with similar children collected paper, plastic, glass. They sold it to Jaggu in Jam Bazaar who further sold it to a factory.
Ques 22: What pulled the Princess out of her gloom?
Ans: The Princess came out of her gloom when she heard the song of a little bird. It made the Princess forget her sorrow, and stopped crying while sitting up. She heard the bird?s song about the lake and gold fish in the king?s garden with rapt attention. In the bird she found a good friend indeed.
Ques 23: Answer any one of the following:
(i) Imagine that you are the poet. You have come to your native valley to meet a famous preacher called Ernest. Narrate the incident of your first meeting with him.
OR
(ii) What had happened in the Sappleton family as narrated by the niece?
Ans: I was born in the valley more than fifty years ago. I left the place at the age of fourteen. I spent many years of my life in distant cities.
I developed interest in writing poems which contained gems of wisdom and lofty ideals, of grand dreams and flights of imagination. My poems became popular and I became a renowned person.
While I was nearing sixty, I heard of Ernest. I was impressed by his character and humanitarian zeal. One summer day I reached my native valley and met the good old man Ernest.
He sat reading a book and looking lovingly at the mountain from time to time.
I asked the man if he would let me stay at his cottage for a night. Gladly answered Ernest with a smile. I sat down beside him and talked till late in the night. I felt I had never met a man like Ernest before, so wise, gentle and kind. Ernest enquired of me who I was. I told him that I was there in the book of poems he was reading.
Ernest declared that I was perhaps the man with the likeness of Stone Face. He praised me for my thoughts in the book. But I admitted my drawbacks frankly. I said that I had failed to live according to my own thoughts, and my dreams were just dreams. I called him the pure seeker of the good and truth.
OR
The narration by the girl (niece) about the Sappleton family was connected to the tragedy which happened just three years ago. The niece described how through the window, three years ago, Mrs. Sappleton's husband and her two younger brothers went off for their day's shooting but never came back.
While crossing the moor to their favourite shooting ground, all three of them were engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog, even their bodies were not recovered. The niece further stated that her aunt fascinated their entry through the window so it was always kept open every evening till it was dusk.
Her aunt always awaited for their return.
