Class 9 English: Sample Question Paper- 3 (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.

PART-A (40 MARKS)

READING (20 MARKS)

Q.1. Read the passage given below :
1. During my growing years, my siblings and I were taught — both at home and school – to worship the photos and idols of the deities of our respective religions. When we grew a little older, we were introduced to scriptures like the Bhagwad Gita, The Bible and the Quran. We were told that there are a lot of life lessons to be learnt from these holy books. We were then introduced to mythological stories, through which we learnt about ethics and morality. I also learnt to be respectful towards my parents who made my life comfortable with their love and sacrifice, and my teachers who guided me to become a good student and a responsible citizen.
2. Much later in life, I realised that though we learn much from our respective scriptures, there is a lot to learn from our surroundings. This realisation 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.
3. No wonder that besides the scriptures, in many cultures, nature is also worshipped. The message that is transmitted is that of maintaining the environment and ecological balance. People are taught to live in harmony with nature and, recognise that divinity is there everywhere.
4. Nature is a great teacher. A river never stops flowing. If it finds an obstruction 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 not only to be nurturing but also to be progressive in life; keeping the fighting spirit alive.
5. We learn a lot in nature’s lap but are unwilling to comprehend it. Rather than being considerate to our surrounding and environment, we are being senselessly insensitive. Overcome with greed, we are destroying nature, the extent of which is so profound that we are frequently facing natural disasters like droughts, floods and landslides. We refuse to accept that nature is angry with us. We forget that if the dam of patience bursts, the result is destruction.
6. However, it is never too late to learn, if we imbibe the life-giving and nurturing aspects of Mother Nature, the quality of our life will improve dramatically.
On the basis of your understanding, answer ANY TEN questions from twelve that follow :
(i) What do mythological stories teach us?
(a) To become good citizens
(b) To be respectful towards parents
(c) Both (a) & (b)
(d) none of these
Ans: (c) Both (a) & (b)

(ii) Which of the following option is true?
(a) The river teaches us to maintain ecological balance
(b) The river teaches us to be progressive in life
(c) The river teaches us to accept everything in life
(d) The river teaches us to maintain environmental balance
Ans: (b) be progressive in life

(iii) Frequent natural disasters occur due to _______ .
(a) human greed
(b) Landslides
(c) ecological balance
(d) nurturing aspect of nature
Ans: (a) human greed

(iv) We learn life-lessons from _____ .
(a) mythological stories
(b) nature
(c) surroundings
(d) all of these
Ans: (d) all of these

(v) According to the passage, nature is a great ______ .
(a) student
(b) healer
(c) teacher
(d) parent
Ans: (c) teacher

(vi) The bursting of the dam of patience results in ______.
(a) construction
(b) destruction
(c) happiness
(d) excitement
Ans: (b) destruction

(vii) Nature has started showing its _____ in the form of landslides, floods, droughts, etc.
(a) joy
(b) anger
(c) elation
(d) recognition
Ans: (b) anger

(viii) We should imbibe ______ aspects of Mother Nature.
(a) devastating
(b) life-giving
(c) destroying
(d) comprehending
Ans: (b) life-giving

(ix) Choose an option that correctly states the meaning of ‘Gods’ :
(a) worship
(b) ethics
(c) deities
(d) scriptures
Ans: (c) deities

(x) Which word in Para 2 means the same as ‘examine’?
(a) enquire
(b) learn
(c) explore
(d) lessons
Ans: (a) enquire

(xi) Find a word in Para 3 which is the antonym of ‘received’.
(a) transmitted
(b) maintaining
(c) balance
(d) divinity
Ans: (a) transmitted

(xii) Find a word in Para 6 that means the same as ‘assimilate’.
(a) dramatically
(b) quality
(c) nurturing
(d) imbibe
Ans: (d) imbibe

Q. 2. Read the passage given below :

The most characteristic feature of spiders is their ability to produce silken threads. Spiders normally have six finger-like silk glands, called ‘spinnerets’ located beneath their abdomen. To spin a web, the spider squeezes the silk out of its body through two small holes. The liquid silk is thicker than water and dries into a fine thread as soon as it comes in contact with air. Spider silk is much stronger than steel and resists breakage because of its elasticity. It can stretch up to 140 per cent of its original length. The diameter of these silken threads is about 10,000 of an inch. Spiders use this silk to make webs to trap their prey. The egg sacs of some spiders are also made of silk which pretreats the unborn progeny. Sometimes the spider can also use its silk as a safety feature. A certain species of spider ‘Philippus apacheanecs’ trails a safety line of fine silk as it jumps. It uses the silk line to recover if it misses its target. The silk of ‘Naphils Spider’ is the strongest natural fibre known.

The spinning of webs is a remarkable example of instinctive behaviour. A spider does not have to learn how to make a web, although spinning itself can be adapted to unique circumstances. For example, ‘orb’ webs are circular in shape and take an hour to build. Funnel spiders spin a net-like entrance to their homes, which helps to trap food. Similarly, trap door spiders dig their homes and spin a trap door out of their silk for trapping insects.

As integral components of our biosphere, spiders have an intrinsic existence value. They are efficient predators that play an important role in controlling the pests of cotton. They are also a source of food for other creatures, such as birds and wasps. Thus, the presence of spiders is an ecological indicator signalling the health of the natural ecosystem.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY TEN questions from the twelve that follow :
(i) Spinnerets in a spider are located ______ .

(a) near abdomen

(b) beneath their abdomen

(c) in their abdomen

(d) above their abdomen

Ans: (b) beneath their abdomen

(ii) A spider has ____ small holes from which it squeezes the silk out of its body.
(a) one
(b) two
(c) three
(d) six
Ans: (b) two

(iii) The liquid silk, that comes out of his body, dries into the thread when it comes in contact with _____.
(a) wind
(b) water
(c) air
(d) rain
Ans: (c) air

(iv) The silk of ‘Naphils Spider’ is the ______ natural fibre known.
(a) strongest
(b) healthiest
(c) non-risky
(d) safest
Ans: (a) strongest

(v) What important role do spiders play as a predator?
(a) their silk is used to make webs to trap prey
(b) their silk pretreats the unborn progeny
(c) play an important role in controlling pests of cotton
(d) spiders spin a net-like entrance to their homes
Ans: (c) play an important role in controlling pests of cotton

(vi) Why are spiders important for birds and wasps?
(a) they are the source of food for them
(b) spiders spin a net-like entrance to their homes
(c) the spiders can use their silk as a safety feature
(d) None of the above
Ans: (a) they are the source of food for them

(vii) Choose the word from the paragraph which means, ‘essential’.
(a) unique
(b) integral
(c) progeny
(d) indicator
Ans: (b) integral

(viii) Funnel spiders spin ______ entrance to their homes.
(a) circular
(b) trap-door
(c) net-like
(d) square
Ans: (c) net-like

(ix) The web of _______ is visible in the morning dew.
(a) Garden spider
(b) Fisher spider
(c) Grass spider
(d) Common House spider
Ans: (c) Grass spider

(x) The webs of common house spiders are found in _______ .
(a) grass
(b) fields
(c) gardens
(d) sheds
Ans: (d) sheds

(xi) Which spider does not weave a web to catch its prey?
(a) Trapdoor spider
(b) Fisher spider
(c) Funnel spider
(d) Garden spider
Ans: (b) fisher spider

(xii) The woodlouse hunting spider can be spotted in _______.
(a) leaves
(b) rock pill bugs
(c) wood
(d) all of these
Ans: (d) all of these

LITERATURE

Q.3. Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE by answering the questions that follow :

He came and sat down on things, just when they wanted to be packed, and laboured under the fixed belief that, whenever Harris or George reached out their hand for anything it was his cold damp nose that they wanted. He put his leg into the jam, and he worried about the teaspoons, and he pretended that the lemons were rats and got into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could land him with the frying pan. Harris said, ‘I encouraged him. I did not encourage him.

(i) Who is ‘he’ in the first line?
(a) George
(b) Jerome
(c) Montmorency
(d) Harris
Ans: (c) Montmorency

(ii) Whose nose is cold and damp?
(a) Jerome
(b) George
(c) Montmorency
(d) Harris
Ans: (c) Montmorency

(iii) What does worried mean here?
(a) Hurried
(b) Troubled
(c) Nervous
(d) Stressed
Ans: (b) troubled

(iv) What did ‘he’ do?
(a) sat down on things to be packed
(b) put his leg in a jam
(c) squashed the lemons
(d) all the above
Ans: (d) all the above

(v) The name of the chapter from which these lines have been taken is _____.
(a) My childhood
(b) Packing

(c) The little girl
(d) The Bond of Love
Ans: (b) packing

OR

His first trip abroad was to Afghanistan where King Zahir Shah was so taken in by the maestro that he gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs. The king of Afghanistan was not the only one to be fascinated with Bismillah’s music. Film director Vijay Bhatt was so impressed after hearing Bismillah play at a festival that he named a film after the instrument called ‘Gunj Uthi Shehnai’.

(i) What did Zahir Shah present Bismillah Khan?
(a) Carpets
(b) Gold coins
(c) Souvenirs
(d) Both (a) & (c)
Ans: (d) Both (a) & (c)

(ii) Who was the king of Afghanistan?
(a) Zahagir Khan
(b) Zahir Shah
(c) Zahagir Shah
(d) Zagir Khan
Ans: (b) Zahir Shah

(iii) Find the word from the passage which has the same meaning as ‘momento’.
(a) Maestro
(b) Priceless
(c) Souvenir
(d) Persian
Ans: (c) Souvenir

(iv) Who does ‘his’ refer to?
(a) Einstein
(b) Bismillah Khan
(c) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
(d) Evelyn
Ans: (b) Bismillah Khan

(v) The word which means the same as ‘precious’ in these lines is ______.
(a) abroad
(b) taken by
(c) priceless
(d) trip
Ans: (c) priceless

Q.4. Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE by answering the questions that follow:

Then took the other, just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear.

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves, no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

(i) Why did the second road present a better claim than the first?
(a) It was grassy
(b) It was challenging
(c) It wanted to wear
(d) All of these
Ans: d

(ii) Name the poet.
(a) Robert Frost
(b) W.W.E. Ross
(c) James Kirkup
(d) Phoebe Cary
Ans: a

(iii) The rhyme scheme of these lines is ________ .
(a) ababa; abaab
(b) aabba; aabba
(c) abaab; abaab
(d) abbaa; ababa
Ans: c

(iv) The poetic device used in line 3 is ______ .

(a) metaphor 

(b) alliteration

(c) personification 

(d) repetition
Ans: b

(v) These lines tell us that the poet was ______.
(a) adventurous
(b) lazy
(c) hopeful
(d) desperate
Ans: a

OR

He came to the door of a cottage,

In travelling around the earth,

Where a little woman was making cakes,

And baking them on the hearth.

And being faint with fasting,

For the day was almost done,

He asked her, from her store of cakes,

To give him a single one.

(i) What was the little woman doing?
(a) making flour
(b) cooking
(c) making cakes
(d) roasting
Ans: c 

(ii) The name of the poem is _______ .
(a) The Snake Trying
(b) No Men are Foreign
(c) Wind
(d) A Legend of the Northland
Ans: d

(iii) Who does ‘he’ refer to?
(a) St. Robert
(b) St. Paul
(c) Saint Peter
(d) St. Agnes
Ans: c 

(iv) The little woman was _______ .
(a) selfish
(b) unhappy
(c) greedy
(d) sad
Ans: c

(v) How many cakes did ‘he’ ask for?
(a) one
(b) two
(c) three
(d) four
Ans: a

GRAMMAR

Q.5. Fill in the blanks to complete the note:
Over a period of time, I became friendly with them and they told me (i)____ life. They did not have a father. Their mother  (ii)____ a labourer. They stayed in a nearby slum with their uncle. They had studied up to class  (iii)____ then had to drop out as they were too poor to continue. There was nobody who would guide and teach them at home.

(i)
(a) his
(b) my
(c) their
(d) her
Ans: c

(ii) 
(a) so
(b) as
(c) how
(d) with
Ans: b

(iii) 
(a) and
(b) so
(c) but
(d) since
Ans: a

Q.6. Choose the most suitable word to complete the paragraph :
Communication is (i)_____science as old as mankind. Right from (ii)_____beginning, the man felt the need to communicate. Initially, he made use of signs and symbols to transmit his message. With the passage of time, these were replaced by words and languages. Gradually the effect of communication as an interdisciplinary subject began to gain ground. In (iii)_____initial phases, communications revolved around public speaking, in which nonverbal, as well as verbal cues, were studied and effectiveness of communication was evaluated with persuasion as the main goal.
(i)
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) very
Ans: (a) a

(ii)
(a) very
(b) an
(c) the
(d) long
Ans: (c) the

(iii)
(a) very
(b) an
(c) X
(d) the
Ans: (d) the

Q. 7. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option for ANY FOUR of the six sentences given below :

(i) The government should ban ______ sprays which destroy the ozone layer.
(a) all
(b) every
(c) each
(d) any
Ans: (a) all

(ii) I _____ you once again before I leave for London.
(a) meet
(b) met
(c) shall be meeting
(d) meeting
Ans: (c) shall be meeting

(iii) Somya intends to start her own business in ____ years.
(a) some
(b) a few
(c) few
(d) a couple
Ans: (b) a few

(iv) Yesterday, I saw a movie that my friends _____ the week before.
(a) seen
(b) have seen
(c) had seen
(d) were seeing
Ans: (c) had seen

(v) It is difficult _____ the stars in the sky today.
(a) to see
(b) to saw
(c) see
(d) seeing
Ans: (a) to see

(vi) I ______ at 7 am and was given tea.
(a) wake up
(b) wakes up
(c) woke up
(d) waking up
Ans: (c) woke up

PART-B (40 MARKS)
WRITING

Q.8. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words :

Today you were invited to a Christmas Party. Write a Diary Entry in about 100-120 words about the party.

Ans: 
Tuesday
25th December 20××
11:00 p.m.
Dear Diary,
I was very excited when I was invited by my friend to attend the Christmas Carnival which was organised by her. Christmas is a synonym for the winter chill, stars, wreaths, Santa Claus, plum cakes, carols and midnight mass at the church. Many of us were dressed in red to mark the celebration. The Carnival included several presentations by a live band, light music filling up the ambience, jugglers, a photo studio meant for funny and memorable clicks, magicians, several games as well as food stalls offering scrumptious snacks. Such festive celebrations call for merriment with family and friends. Events like these add up the lost energies of people and give a chance to people to break the mundane lifestyle. With loads of gifts and goodies to be won, this Carnival turned out to be a memorable one, filled with vigour and excitement.
Good Night Diary !
Deepti

OR

Using the hints given below write the description of Rani Laxmi Bai.

Great freedom fighter… sacrificed her life for country… born on 1st November 1835… Benaras… father-Moropanth Tambe… Mother... Bhagirathi Bai… Manikarnika… fond of horse riding and shooting… married to Gangadhar Rao… became Maharani… interested in military training… defended her state from Britishers… actively participated in 1857 sacrificed her life at the age of twenty-three.

Ans:

Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi

Indian history is full of the heroic deeds of great heroes and heroines. Rani Laxmi Bai is one of them. She was the most remarkable personality of her age. She was a great freedom fighter. She was the first woman to sacrifice her life for the freedom of the country. She sacrificed her life but did not bow down before the English rulers. This star of heroism was born on November 1, 1835, in a noble family in Benaras. Her father was Moropanth Tambe and her mother was Bhagirathi Bai. Her parents named her Manikarnika after the river Ganga. In her childhood, she was called Manu. She was fond of horse riding and shooting. Once, she jumped from her own horse and saved the life of Nana Sahib.

She was married to Gangadhar Rao, the ruler of Jhansi, and became Maharani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi. She gave birth to a baby boy who died only after three months. During her married life, she took a keen interest in military training. When Raja Gangadhar Rao died, the English rulers wanted to capture Jhansi but Rani ruined their plans to capture Jhansi. She fought bravely and defended her state from the Britishers. She was a great patriot, fearless and brave. She inspired Indian rulers against the cruelty of British rule in India. She took an active part in the struggle for freedom in 1857 and sacrificed her life in the battle. She was only twenty-three then. No doubt, Rani Lakshmi Bai is one of the most famous Indian women.

Q.9. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words:

A. The teacher asked the students to write a story. Sonalika couldn’t complete her story. Help her to complete her story.
Ramu was a porter. He was a very honest boy. One day, an old man hired him to carry the luggage to his house. On reaching his home, the old man gave Ramu...
Ans:

HONESTY

A. Ramu was a porter. He was a very honest boy. One day, an old man hired him to carry the luggage to his house. On reaching his home, the old man gave Ramu ` 100 for his labour. Ramu charged only ` 90 for that much work. Since neither of them had any change, the old man told him to keep the money. Later on, in the evening, Ramu came back to return ` 10 to the old man. The old man was touched by the boy’s honesty. He wanted to help Ramu in some way or another. He asked him to stay with him. Ramu stayed in his house and started working as the old man’s caretaker. He looked after the members of the family, cleaned the house, did gardening, etc. The old man was very happy seeing his dedication to work. So, he helped Ramu to pursue his education. After finishing all the household chores, Ramu used to sit to study. He worked so hard that he finally became a police officer. To date, he is indebted to the old man for his help, but the reality is that it’s his honesty that had made him earn this position in life.

OR

B. Complete the story in ... words from the outline given below :
It was 6 o’clock in the evening and there was a lot of traffic on the road. Mohan was driving his car when suddenly two teenagers on a bike overtook his car...

Ans:

DRIVE SAFELY

B. It was 6’o clock in the evening and there was a lot of traffic on the road. Mohan was driving his car when suddenly two teenagers on a bike overtook his car. They were driving very fast and rash. They were also screaming and singing songs. It seemed as if they were drunk. In spite of the heavy traffic, they seemed to be juggling their bike through the crowd. In order to save a boy who was going on a cycle, they turned to the left and lost their balance and went and hit the speeding bus which was coming from the opposite direction. The entire traffic came to a halt. Even Mohan stopped his car and went to see the two boys, who were badly injured. As they were not wearing helmets, they got multiple injuries on their head. Mohan immediately called up for an ambulance as they were bleeding profusely.

Medical aid came immediately and they were taken to the nearest hospital. Even Mohan went along with the ambulance. Doctors attended them immediately and told them that they had internal injuries which would take time to heal, but they were out of danger. We all thanked God for saving them and felt this could be a lesson to both of them for driving recklessly.

LITERATURE

Q.10. Answer any four of the following in 20-30 words each:
A. (i) Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
(ii) With what tricks would Baba entertain the author’s family?
(iii) Can Maria Sharapova be considered a patriot? Substantiate your answer with examples.
Ans: (i) Kezia was a little sensitive girl. Her father was aggressive and always spoke loudly. He always scolded her. He used to beat her, even when she had accepted her mistakes. He never played with her. This made her afraid of her father.
(ii) Baba would obey commands and would tackle anyone for rough and tumble when commanded to wrestle or box. He would point a stick when asked to hold a gun. If someone asked where the baby was, then he would produce and cradle affectionately a stump of wood.
(iii) Value Points:

Yes, used to say she was a Russian.

Detailed Answer: Maria Sharapova was a patriot. She says that though America has played a major role in her life yet she is proud to be a Russian. She says that she holds Russian citizenship and her blood is totally Russian. She is ready to play the Olympics for Russia if they would invite her to play.

B. (i) Why did Sergei call Lushkoff his ‘godson’?
(ii) How did Johnsy associate herself with the falling of leaves?
(iii) Why were the people of the kingdom confused when they saw the dead bodies of the king and his minister?
Ans: (i) Sergei helped Lushkoff in mending his ways. Now Lushkoff was no more a beggar and was earning a handsome salary. Sergei felt proud of himself for making Lushkoff a respectable person. So, he called him his godson.
(ii) Leaves on the other side of the window were falling one by one.
(iii) The people of the kingdom were confused as to how their king and the minister were dead instead of the Guru and the disciple. The people were not able to see through the plan which was executed by the Guru against their king and minister.

Q. 11. Answer ANY TWO of the following in 40-50 words from (A) & (B) respectively:
A. (i) What work does Gerrard do? How do you know this?
(ii) How did Montmorency, the dog, create troubles while packing?
(iii) What did the swallow observe when he flew over the city?
Ans: (i) Value points :
Gerrard a dramatist, works for theatre, disguise outfit, false moustaches, etc., support this point.
Detailed Answer: Gerrard is a dramatist who works for a theatre. The disguise outfit, false moustaches and other similar items in his cottage support this point. In the last dialogue in which he says, ‘‘ Hello. Yes, speaking. Sorry, I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal, .......’’ also supports this point.
(ii) Value points:

• got in the way of packing
• sat on the things
• pretended as if lemons are rats
• put his legs in the jam.

Detailed Answer: Montmorency’s ambition in life was to disturb the work and get scolded for it. He poked his nose during packing. He sat on the things that had to be packed, put his leg into the jam, disturbed the teaspoons and destroyed the lemons thinking them to be rats.
(iii) Value points :

• rich making merry, beautiful houses
• beggars sitting at gates
• starving children, trying to keep warm
• watchman telling them to leave.

Detailed Answer: When the swallow flew over the city, he found the rich making merry. He passed by the palace and heard the sound of dancing. He saw the rich making merry in their beautiful houses while beggars were sitting at the gates. He saw the white faces of starving children. Two little children lying in each other’s arms to keep themselves warm and the watchman telling them to leave the place and they wandered out into the rain.

B. (i) How does the poet’s beloved become an inseparable part of nature in ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit Feal’?
(ii) Disciple in the story didn’t look into the depth of the matter and took a hasty decision of not leaving the kingdom of fools. What light does the story throw on the importance of good decision making in one’s life?
(iii) What does Lushkoff mean by saying ‘she set me right? What qualities of his character are revealed here?
Ans:
(i) Value points: Her death made her an integral part of nature rolled round in the earth’s course with rocks, stones and trees.
Detailed Answer: The poet mentions that there is no motion in the body of his beloved as death has overcome her. All her senses are dead by now. As the earth completes its routine of the day and night with the rocks, stones and trees, so does the beloved of the poet. She has become a part of nature now.
(ii) Disciple in the story didn’t look into the depth of the matter and took a hasty decision of not leaving the kingdom of fools. Disciple was waylaid by the prices of the commodities. Anything could be bought with a ‘Duddu’. Either it could be a mass of rice or a bunch of bananas. So, the disciple decided to stay back not listening to his Guru who advised his disciple that it was dangerous to stay back in the kingdom of fools, as there was no justice prevalent in such a kingdom. It was when the disciple was chosen as a suitable person for execution, that he realised his mistake. He regretted his decision of staying back. Just one small decision costed his life.
(iii) By ‘she’ Lushkoff meant Olga who set him right. Using the right means, she transformed his life. Lushkoff who lied to beg alms from people who made foul plans to cheat people was now a changed man. Olga played an important role in transforming Lushkoff. She went through lots of misery and cried a lot for him. Lushkoff who was a kind-hearted man melted with her words. He started working hard and took his work seriously. He believed in the power of goodness and honest means of livelihood. Lushkoff would now chop wood, shovel snow, put the woodshed in order, beat the dust out of rugs. He had become a notary and earned at least thirty-five roubles a month.

Q.12. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words :
A. What is the theme of the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’?
Ans: The poem ‘The Road Not Taken‘ offers a profound perception of the process of decision making. The traveller at the crossroads of the diverging roads is symbolic of an individual at a decisive moment in his life’s journey. His decision or choice of the future course of action i.e. which road he should adopt out of spiritualism and materialism is of utmost significance since the decision decides his destiny. The poet, Robert Frost, through this poem asserts the importance of the right decision at the right time. In life we have to make our choices; sometimes we have to make these choices without the full understanding of the state of affairs. Even then, we should arrive at decision only after carefully considering all the available options. We may regret our choice or we may be excited about our choice, but the choice at the crucial moment will determine and change the path of our life. Hence, the poem stresses the need for deep and critical analysis of the situation before we arrive at a life-transforming decision.

OR

B. How did Maria’s loneliness prove to be a boon for her?
Ans: Value Points:

• born in Russia
• sent to the US for tennis training when she was only nine
• mother could not accompany her due to visa restrictions
• had to bear two years of separation
• father also had to work hard
• could not spare time for her
• humiliation at the hands of seniors
• became more determined
• reached number one in tennis.

Detailed Answer: Maria was born in Russia. She was sent to the US for tennis training when she was only nine years old. Her mother could not accompany her due to the visa restrictions. She missed her terribly and had to bear two years of separation. Her father was also working hard to earn money thereby he could not spare time for her. She also had to suffer from humiliation at the hands of seniors. But then she became more determined and mentally tough. She became more hungry for success and proved herself by becoming number one in tennis. Thus, this staying away from her family proved to be a blessing in disguise for her.

Q.13. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words:
A. What happened when Prashant went to meet his friend Ersama?
Ans: Value points:

• Prashant and his friend’s family remained on the roof.
• Two coconut trees had fallen on their roof.
• They got their food from these trees.

Detailed Answer: Prashant had gone to meet his friend in Ersama which was some eighteen kilometres from his village. In the evening a dark and menacing storm quickly gathered winds and it beat against the houses with an exceptional speed and fury. There was heavy and continuous rain uprooting the ancient trees. People started screaming when they saw their houses being washed away. There was neck-deep water everywhere. The velocity of the wind was 350 km per hour. Prashant and his friend’s family had to spend two days on the top of the roof. They froze in the cold rain with nothing to eat except for the tender coconuts from the trees which had fallen on the roof of their house.

OR

B. Do you think that the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers?

Ans: Value points:

• The narrator of the story aches to be suave but ends up being clumsy most of the time. His inherent clumsiness, sloppiness make him unsuccessful in all his efforts.
• He honestly admits that he fails in his endeavours. Acceptance of shortcoming, an ability to laugh at his own self and a constant desire to improve mark his admission.

Detailed Answer: Johnsy contracted pneumonia in cold November month in New York. Johnsy had a slim chance of living as she had lost her will to live. Similarly, high competition and too much ambition compared to one’s own ability are gradually driving teenagers into depression as faced by Johnsy. Small failures in life are frightening them and they are losing all hopes to live. It is the responsibility of society to infuse courage amongst its members.