Part - I (10 × 1 = 10)
I. Choose the correct synonyms for the underlined words:
1) We had reached a point where the road bifurcated.
- a) Joined
- b) combined
- c) divided
- d) differentiated
Answer: c) divided
2) They can control the computer screen with eyes gaze.
- a) stare
- b) deep
- c) jump
- d) run
Answer: a) stare
3) The attic has always been favourite with children.
- a) loft
- b) terrace
- c) apartment
- d) strong room
Answer: a) loft
II. Choose the correct antonyms for the underlined words:
4) It's made a huge different to me.
- a) vast
- b) tiny
- c) massive
- d) great
Answer: b) tiny
5) We look forward to a more inclusive way of learning instead of the cloistered existence.
- a) enclosed
- b) detached
- c) opened
- d) united
Answer: c) opened
(Miscellaneous Questions)
6) Choose the correct plural from of 'medium'
- a) mediums
- b) media
- c) mediae
- d) mediams
Answer: b) media
7) A portion of a wall of the attic had crumbled down
- a) withered
- b) attached
- c) broken
- d) taken
Answer: c) broken
8) Attach a suitable suffix to the word "beauty"
Answer: c) ful (beautiful)
9) Choose the correct expansion of the abbreviation SIM
- a) subscriber information module
- b) subscriber identification module
- c) school identification model
Answer: b) subscriber identification module
10) Choose the most appropriate linker from the given four alternatives.
............ he is ninety years old, he is in the pink of health.
- a) when
- b) since
- c) yet
- d) even though
Answer: d) even though
Part - II (3 × 2 = 6)
III. Answer any Three:
11) Where was Nagen uncle's shop?
Nagen uncle's shop was a tea shop located in Bramhapur, on the same road as Aditya's ancestral house.
12) What did Aditya offer Sanyal?
Aditya offered Sanyal Rs. 150. This was the value of the silver medal that he had stolen from Sanyal twenty-nine years ago.
13) How many people in India suffer with disability?
According to the 2011 census, about 2.68 crore people in India, which is 2.21% of the total population, suffer from some form of disability.
14) Who is Kim?
Kim is a 13-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair. She is a technology enthusiast who uses eye-gaze technology to control her computer, communicate, and pursue her passions.
IV. Read the following sets of poetic lines and answer any One of the following. (2 × 2 = 4)
15) A silly young cricket accustomed to sing.
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring
a) What was the routine of the cricket?
The routine of the cricket was to sing happily all day long during the pleasant months of summer and spring.
b) Name the seasons mentioned here.
The seasons mentioned here are summer and spring.
16) My Heart was so light
That I Sang day and night
a) Identify the rhyming words of the given lines.
The rhyming words are 'light' and 'night'.
b) Mention the rhyme scheme employed in the above lines.
The rhyme scheme is 'aa'.
V. Transform the following sentence (Any Three) (3 × 2 = 6)
17) Change into other voice: Please assemble in the ground.
Answer: You are requested to assemble in the ground.
18) Change into indirect speech: Ravi said, "This is my watch".
Answer: Ravi said that that was his watch.
19) Join the sentence using 'Relative pronouns': I have a book. It was written by Rabindranath Tagore
Answer: I have a book which was written by Rabindranath Tagore.
20) Combine the sentence using the appropriate connector: Sita saw a snake. At once she ran away.
Answer: As soon as Sita saw a snake, she ran away.
Part - III
VI. Answer any Two of the following in utmost 10 lines: (2 × 5 = 10)
21) Give a detailed account of all thoughts and questions in the narrator's mind while accompanying Aditya from the tea shop to Sanyal's house?
While accompanying Aditya to Sanyal's house, the narrator's mind was filled with curiosity and questions. He wondered why Aditya suddenly insisted on visiting Srimanta Sanyal after hearing his name. He was puzzled by Aditya's changed behaviour and his keenness to meet a man he supposedly didn't know well. The narrator questioned Aditya's motives and the reason for his sudden guilt and desire for atonement. He tried to connect the dots between Aditya's past, his ancestral home, the attic, and the forgotten silver medal. He was a silent spectator, trying to solve the mystery of why Aditya was so determined to right a wrong committed twenty-nine years ago.
22) "Technology is a boon to the disabled!" Justify.
Technology is undoubtedly a great boon to the disabled as it empowers them to overcome physical limitations and live more independent and fulfilling lives. For instance, visually impaired individuals can use screen readers like JAWS to access computers and smartphones. People with motor disabilities, like Kim in the lesson, can use eye-gaze technology to control devices and communicate. Advanced prosthetics help amputees regain mobility. Voice assistants allow people with limited dexterity to control their environment. These assistive technologies open up opportunities for education, employment, and social interaction, breaking down barriers and fostering inclusivity. Thus, technology acts as a great equalizer, enhancing the quality of life for disabled individuals significantly.
VII. Answer any One of the following in utmost 10 lines. (1 × 4 = 4)
23) Compare and contrast the attitude of the ant and the cricket.
The poem "The Ant and the Cricket" presents a stark contrast between the attitudes of its two main characters. The cricket is portrayed as a lazy, carefree, and short-sighted creature. It spends the warm, happy months of summer and spring singing and enjoying itself, without a thought for the future. In contrast, the ant is hardworking, responsible, and farsighted. It toils all summer to gather and store food for the harsh winter ahead. When winter comes, the cricket starves while the ant is secure. The cricket represents a life of pleasure and irresponsibility, whereas the ant embodies the principles of hard work, planning, and self-reliance.
24) How do Machines confess they are inferior to human brain?
In the poem "The Secret of the Machines," the machines confess their inferiority to the human brain by acknowledging their own limitations. They admit that they are merely the creation of humans, incapable of original thought or emotion. They state, "But remember, please, the Law by which we live, We are not built to comprehend a lie, We can neither love nor pity nor forgive." This highlights their inability to experience complex human emotions. Furthermore, they are completely dependent on humans for their creation and operation. They warn that a simple human error can lead to their malfunction, causing destruction. Ultimately, they are just tools, powerful but soulless, and their existence is entirely subject to the will and intelligence of the human brain that designed them.
VIII. Quote from Memory: (1 × 5 = 5)
25) We were taken ................... all we ask
We were taken from the ore-bed and the mine,
We were melted in the furnace and the pit—
We were cast and wrought and hammered to design,
We were cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit.
Some water, coal, and oil is all we ask,
And a thousandth of an inch to give us play:
IX. Write a paragraph of about 100 words by developing the following hints: (1 × 5 = 5)
Hints: Shining governed by a despotic governor - had dislike of old people - ordered to put them to death - a farmer - loved his aged mother - carried on back - painful journey up mountain - hidden mother gave idea - governor glad - total truth - abolished cruel law.
The Story of the Aged Mother
Long ago in Shining, a despotic governor ruled with an iron fist. He had a strong dislike for old people and issued a cruel order to put all the aged to death. However, a poor farmer, who loved his aged mother dearly, could not bear to part with her. He carried his mother on his back and undertook a painful journey up a mountain to hide her in a secret hut. Later, the governor demanded an impossible task that no one could solve. The farmer's hidden mother, with her wisdom, gave him the idea to solve the riddle. The governor was extremely glad and impressed. When the farmer revealed the total truth about his mother's help, the governor realized the value and wisdom of the elderly. He immediately abolished the cruel law and from then on, treated the aged with respect and kindness.