Class 9 English: Sample Question Paper Term II- 2 | English Class 9 PDF Download

General Instructions:

1. The question paper contains three sections – Reading, Writing & Grammar and Literature.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
3. Topics covered in Section C:  
   Beehive:  My Childhood, No Men are Foreign, Reach for the Top, On Killing a Tree, Kathmandu, A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal, If I were you.
   Moments:  Weathering the Storm in Ersama, The Last Leaf, A House Is Not a Home, The Beggar.
   

I. Read the passage given below:                       [5 Marks]

• Many are familiar with the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s literary works and songs. One may well ask: Is there a central theme in Tagore’s works? There is a central theme and that is, his love for freedom and nonconformity which is evident in his works. Apart from being a literary genius, have you ever wondered what else did he love? Have you ever thought of tasting the bard’s favourite dishes?
• Now Kolkata can boast of a cafeteria-cum-restaurant, ‘Cafe The’, where people can get a taste of Tagore’s culinary indulgences–all under one roof. It was conceived by Ratikanta Basu, who undertook a lot of research to make it a reality.
• The restaurant is located on Ho Chi Min Sarani in south Kolkata and is the first cafeteria-cum-restaurant in India that is exclusively dedicated to Tagore cuisine.
• Tagore would encourage the ‘thakurs’ (cooks) in his ancestral palace in the northern part of the city to introduce variations in the platter, by including local versions of Continental and Peshawari cuisine. Thus, the cross over culture ensconced silently in the kitchens of Thakurbari was launched, much before the clamour for cross-cultural cuisine actually started.
• The poet’s innate wanderlust took him to places like Italy, Spain, England, Turkey and he imbibed the food traditions of the respective countries. Since he was exposed to both Oriental and Continental cuisine, a penchant to blend the two forms came naturally.
• There are not many documents to support that Tagore was a die-hard food lover. But he actually was one and whenever he attended a lunch or dinner abroad, he used to collect and bring back the menu cards.
• A part of the menu card will be a facsimile of the menu laid out for the dinner party hosted by Indian society, London, in 1912 to felicitate Tagore on the occasion of the publication of Gitanjali, a collection of his poems. Even the decor of the cafe in south Kolkata has been designed to suit the ambience with large portraits of Tagore at various lunch and dinner parties across the world, his framed write-ups on food, of course softly played Tagore songs.

Based on  your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE of the following questions:
Q.1. What is the underlying theme of Tagore’s works?

The underlying theme of Tagore's work is his love for freedom and nonconformity.

Q.2. What is Gitanjali?

Gitanjali is a collection of poems written by Rabindranath Tagore. This significant work showcases Tagore's profound thoughts and emotions, reflecting themes of spirituality and human connection.

Q.3. What did Tagore encourage the 'thakurs' for?

Tagore encouraged the 'thakurs' to introduce variations in the platters, by including local versions of Continental and Peshawari cuisine.

Q.4. Why did Tagore visit places like – Italy, Spain, England and Turkey?

Rabindranath Tagore's innate wanderlust led him to visit various countries, including Italy, Spain, England, and Turkey. During his travels, he not only explored the landscapes but also imbibed the culinary traditions of these nations.

Q.5. What did Tagore do whenever he attended a lunch or dinner abroad?

Whenever Tagore attended a lunch or dinner abroad, he used to collect and bring back the menu cards.

Q.6. Rewrite the following sentence by replacing the underlined word with the word that means the same from paragraph 5.
It was as if she had an inborn knowledge of musical notes.

It was as if she had an innate knowledge of musical notes.

II. Read the passage given below:                                      [5 Marks]

• A research conducted by SATHI says that it is a misconception that children living on platforms are abandoned or are wrecked from homes. In reality, most of the children are those that flee from their homes without a thought and cannot retract their actions, either because they have no money or are too frightened to go back. “We rescue 50 children daily from the platforms across the country. Some of these children get lost even as their parents search for them desperately,” said Anjali, project officer, SATHI.
• Life on the platform is not easy. The longer a child lives on the platform, the more he falls prey to addictions, abuse, petty thefts and odd jobs for survival. There is no place like home for a child, therefore, in extreme cases of abuse and poverty the organisation’s first course of action is ‘home placement’.
• As SATHI’s secretary Pramod Kulkarni says, ‘A child on the platform never grows up, he just ages. Early intervention not only saves the child from the dangers of platform life but also makes repatriation easier as the child is more willing to go back home’. But, it is not an easy task. The organisation’s staff search the platforms across the country from morning till night. Children are rescued from the platforms and are placed within the safe limits of the SATHI shelters. They are counselled and those who are willing to go back home are taken to their families as soon as possible.
• Others who are reluctant to go back home are enrolled in “home orientation camps”. Love, guidance and care provided, it paves the way for effective development of problem-solving and social skills needed to build self-esteem and renew family ties. Children addicted to substance abuse are sent to de-addiction camps.
  

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions that follow:
Q.1. What is the main aim of SATHI?

The main aim of SATHI is to rescue children from platforms, home-placement of these children and to place these children in the safe limits of SATHI shelters.

Q.2. How does the early intervention in the lives of the children living on the platform help?

Early intervention helps to save the child from dangers of platform life and to convince the child to go back home.

Q.3. What happens if a child lives on the platforms for long?

In such a case, he falls prey to addictions, abuse, pretty thefts and odd jobs for survival.

Q.4. What does the pie-chart convey about the grown up children?

The pie chart conveys that the children in the age group of 8-15 years are the most frequently abandoned. This highlights a significant concern regarding the welfare of young children in this age bracket.

Q.5. How are the addicted children helped?

Children who are addicted to substance abuse receive help by being sent to de-addiction camps. These camps provide a structured environment where they can receive counselling, support, and treatment to overcome their addiction.

Q.6. Find out the word from Paragraph-1 which means the same as 'exhausted'.

The word from Paragraph-1 that means the same as 'exhausted' is wrecked.

III. Attempt ANY ONE from (i) and (ii).                      [5 Marks]

Q.1. Your friend has behaved very selfishly in the canteen today and so you are very upset. Write a diary entry in 100-120 words expressing your feelings.    [5 Marks]

24 March, 20XX
Saturday, 10:00 PM
Dear Diary,
The pace of the world can’t be judged by a simple person. Generally, friends are considered to be the best people and friendship, the best relationship, but the incident that happened today made me upset. My friend and I got a chance to drink tea in the canteen. I was glad. We were talking about various issues. All of a sudden, the behaviour of my friend changed and he said that, he had heard that, I had complained to the teacher against him. I assured him that I had never done such a thing, but he was not ready to accept my views and left the place after humiliating me. He has hurt my feelings. I am unable to find a way to solve the problem. I cannot believe that my one and the only friend behaved like that. He never behaved like that before. Today I may be hurt and upset with him, but from tomorrow, I will again try to make him understand.
Good Night Diary
XYZ

Q.2. Develop a story in about 100-120 words with the following beginning. Also give a suitable title. An old couple was living in Shobit’s adjacent flat. One day, he saw some commotion in their house. He went there and found .............     [5 Marks]

CUT
An old couple was living in Shobit’s adjacent flat. One day, he saw some commotion in their house. He went there and found that there were some masked people who were threatening the old couple and they were trying to escape from their grip. Meanwhile, there was a sound of hooter and people saw three cars coming towards their house. Now, the robbers were trying to free themselves, but they were in the control of the couple. People were surprised how the old couple could be able to handle the young robbers. By now, police had also reached the spot and arrested all the robbers. People were paying their respect to the police, but all of a sudden, there was a sound of ‘Cut‘. The people were surprised as all the people including the old couple, robbers and police were laughing. Shobit was quite amazed to know that all this was the shooting for a TV serial. Now everyone came to know that the old man was the director of TV films. Shobit took a sigh of relief and decided to approach the old man to introduce him on the silver screen.

IV. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Identify the error and write its correction against the correct blank number. Remember to underline the correction. The first one has been done for you.      [3 Marks]

V. Read the conversation and complete the passage given below:    [2 Marks]

Sneha asked Deepti (a) _____________ postponed.
Deepti answered in negative and said that (b) ______________ that.

(a) if she knew that the Andaman trip had been
(b) she didn't know.

VI. Answer ANY SIX questions in 30-40 words each.       [2 x 6 = 12]

Q.1. What reason did Lushkoff give to Sergei for telling lies?

Lushkoff explained to Sergei that he was lying about his situation. He clarified that he was neither a student nor a school teacher. Instead, he had previously sung in a Russian choir, but he was expelled due to his habit of drinking. As a result, he did not receive any alms when he told the truth.

Q.2. What does the poet mean by the words ‘harvests’ and ‘war ’? (No Men are Foreign)

The poet has used the terms ‘harvest’ and ‘war’ for their symbolic meanings. ‘Harvest’ represents peace, as the farmer engages in cropping to nourish himself and his community. In contrast, the term ‘war’ illustrates the severity of destruction and the resulting starvation that follows. This contrast highlights the impact of conflict on humanity and the value of peace.

Q.3. How did the narrator try to save the cat?

After five hours, when the fire was finally out, it struck the author that the cat was nowhere to be seen. He started crying and attempted to enter the house to rescue his cat. However, the firemen did not allow him to do so, so the author pleaded with them to save the cat.

Q.4. How did Sue help Johnsy during her illness?

She tried her best to soothe her friend by talking about clothes and fashion. She whistled while working to distract her mind, called the doctor, and did her utmost to help her friend recover from the illness. Additionally, she encouraged her not to lose heart.

Q.5. What has the poet compared with ‘leprous hide’? Why?

The poet has compared the leprous hide to the bark of a tree that has become discoloured over time. This comparison suggests that the bark resembles the skin of a person afflicted with leprosy, indicating how both have been affected by the passage of time and aging. The poet illustrates the idea that just as leprosy alters the appearance of skin, the bark shows signs of deterioration due to age.

Q.6. ‘I said it with bullets.’ What is the speaker s reason for saying this? (If I were you)

Gerrard said these words to convey that he had fired a bullet in return. Gerrard said these words because the intruder wanted to kill him to use his identity and escape from the police. Gerrard wanted to mislead the intruder. He wanted to show that he himself was a criminal.

Q.7. How did Maria achieve success?

Maria had a humble beginning. When she was nine years old, she was sent off to the United States on the path of success and stardom. She had strong determination and mental toughness. She was also very hard working and competitive which helped in achieving her success.

VII. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120 words each.      [4 x 2 = 8]

Q.1. Why Sergie is extremely delighted to see Lushkoff at the theatre? Explain.

Lushkoff, the beggar was offered some work. Sergei asked him to go to his friends. They gave him some copying work as he could write. Sergei was happy that he had put the man on the right track.
Two years went by. One evening standing at a ticket window of a theatre Sergei saw the man again. Lushkoff told him that he was a notary and was paid 35 roubles a month. He thanked Sergei for what he had done for him. He said that if he had not helped him he would still have been telling lies. This was the reason why Sergei was extremely delighted to see him at the theatre.

Q.2. Write a brief character sketch of Santosh Yadav.

Santosh was hardworking and determined personality who could take her own decisions and accept challenges. She was adventurous and a team builder. She loved and cared for the environment. Santosh was a determined woman who always did what she had decided to do. She did not let anything stand in her way. She was a rebel who did not want to follow the traditional ways of her community and refused to marry at an early age. She wanted to forge her own path. It was her strong will and unwavering determination that she create her identity not only as the younger woman to climb the Mt. Everest but as the only woman to have scaled the Everest twice. She proved herself repeatedly because of her iron will, physical strength and mental toughness. She loved and cared for the environment. This is proved through the fact that she brought 500 kgs of garbage from the Himalayas.

Q.3. Write three incidents which made the ‘packing’ a humorous story. Describe the incidents in the order in which they took place.

The story of packing by three friends is quite humorous due to several amusing incidents. Here are the key events that contributed to the laughter:

• Incident One: The author forgot to pack the boots, which led to the need to reopen the bag. This simple mistake set the tone for the chaotic packing process.
• Incident Two: Harris and George offered to help pack the hamper. Unfortunately, they ended up breaking a cup, walking on the butter, and stepping on various items, causing a complete mess. Tomatoes were squashed, and Harris even sat on the butter!
• Incident Three: Montmorency, the dog, added to the confusion by destroying the lemons, mistaking them for rats. His antics included sitting on the items intended for packing, seemingly aiming to make someone trip over him and curse.

These incidents not only highlight the chaosof the packing process but also the light-hearted nature of the friends’ adventures.