ENGLISH

                          S.S.L.C EXAMINATION, MARCH-2016.

                                                    ENGLISH

Questions 1-5 :Read the excerpt from 'father's Help' and answer the questions that follow:

           'He is very violent,especially with boys who come late.some days ago a boy was made to
            stay on his knees for a whole period in a corner of the class because he came late and that too
            after getting six cuts from the cane and having his ears twisted. I wouldn't like to go late to
            samuel's class'

           'If he's so violent,why not tell your headmaster about it ?
     
           'They say that even the  headmaster is afraid of him. He is such a violent man.' 'He is very
           violent,especially with boys who come late.'
         
           And then Swami gave a lurid account of samuel's violence; how when he started caning he
           would not stop till he saw blood on the boy's hand, which he made the boy press to his
           forehead like a vermilion marking. swami hoped that with this his father would be made to
           see that he couldn't go to his class late.But father's behaviour took an unexpected turn.
     
       1.  Mention the context of the conversation between Swami and his father.                  1

       2.  How did samuel punish the boy besides caning ?                                                    1  

       3.  What was swami's lurid account of  samuel's violence?                                            1

       4.  What did swami think his father would do ?                                                             1

       5.  What was the 'unexpected turn' referred to in this passage ?                                       2
Questions 6-9: Read the lines from  'Night of the scorpion' and answer the questions that
follow:

My mother twisted through and through,
groaning on a mat.
My father,sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
power,mixture,herb and hybrid
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother.
I watched the holy man perform his rites
to tame the poison with an incantation.
After twenty hours it lost its sting
6.  What are the phrases used by the poet to present the mother's pain ?                             1
7.  What did the father do to bring down the pain suffered by the mother ?                           1
8.  What did the holy man  do ?                                                                                           1
9.  When was the mother relieved of her pains ?                                                                   1
Questions 10-13 :Read the lines from 'The Master' and answer the questions that
follow :
When Han Kan was summoned
to the imperial capital
it was suggested he sit at the feet of
the illustrious senior court painter
to learn from him the refinements of theart.
'No thank you,'he replied,
'I shall apprentice myself to the stables'
10.  Where was Han Kan called to ?
11.  What was Han Kan supposed to learn from the senior court painter ?
12.  What does the word 'illustrious' refer to in these lines ?
13.  What was the decision of Han Kan ?

Questions 14-18: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
    Studies show that animals are quite intelligent and sensitive. But, we humans often
think that our mind separate us from other animals.
      Animal intelligence is not found only in mammals alone.It can be found in other animals,
such as birds too.Our 'feathered friends' can be very smart. Some of them can solve puzzles.
for example, ravens can untie knots. some birds can use tools.  some crows, for example,
use twigs as spears. some birds can even use our language. An African Grey parrot named
'Alex' does more than just imitate human sounds.This parrot can name dozens of objects.
It also seems to understand the ideas of same'different 'and 'amount'.
            Animals are able to feel emotion too.This ability can be painful for them as it is for
human.For example, some baboons live in groups,where the leaders control through fear.
Low-ranking baboons live in a constant state of stress. This stress can cause health problems,
just as it does in humans.


14.  Which of the following points does not support the idea that birds are smart ?
        (A)   some birds can solve puzzles.
        (B)  some birds are not intelligent and sensitive.
        (C)  some birds can use our language.
       (D)   some birds can use tools.
15.  Identify from the passage, which group of animals does 'Alex' belong to ?
        (A) Baboons
        (B) Crows
        (C) Ravens
16.  The 'feathered friends' mentioned in the passage means-----------

17. What, according to the writer,is one of the causes of health problems in humans ?

18. What misconception does humans have with regard to their superiority against other beings ?

19. Answer any one of the following in about 120 words. You may use the hints given along
      with them.
(A) 'Eating habits reflect the life of a society and its economy'. Discuss this topic in the light
      of the article'Tea-shops in Malayalam Cinema' and prepare a write-up to be published
       in the school magazine.
       (Hints:Panthibhojanam-caste-ridden society in Kerala-tea-shops helped in mixed
        eating-tea-shops accelerated the social transformation-films use tea-shop as a public
         space)
(B)  You are a news reporter staying at the same hotel where the narrator in the story
       'The Blue Bouquet' was also staying.You heard about the encounter between the
        narrator and a stranger in the street.Prepare a news report based on the incidents in
        the story.

[Hints:hotelier's warning against night-walk-narrator goes out-deserted street-
no streetlights-feels somebody following-demands eyes for his sweetheart-for a blue
bouquet-looks at the narrator's eyes-strange experience...]
20.  Given below are some events from the story'Balthazar's Marvellous Afternoon'
       Arrange them in sequence and write a paragraph.

•  'How much will you charge ?' Ursula asked.
• 'it's sold,' said Ursula.
• 'Fine. Then I'll take it,' said Doctor Octavio Giraldo.
• A lot of people including the doctor also came to see the cage.
• I am going to ask for thirty pesos', replied Balthazar.
• Balthazar took the cage to Jose Montiel's house
• The cage was finished and Balthazar hung it under the eaves.  

21.The literary Club your school is organizing a review writing competition Those who wish
      to participate should write a rivew of the play ' The Beggar and the King ' as a screening test.
     Consider yourself  a participant and draft a brief review.
     (beggar  cries for food - king becomes intolerant -orders to kill the beggar - acquires strength to
      dethrone the king-the king represents authority,the beggar the common man- the collective                 strength of the common people)
22.The Film Club of your school is going to organize a children's film festival titled'Monsoon
     Mania'.Dr.C.S. Venkitesawaran and Resul Pookutty will be chief guests of its inaugural
     ceremony.The films going to be screened include 'The colour of Paradise' and Children of
     Heaven'. Add more details of your own and draft a notice for circulation.
23. Imagine that a few days after the horrifying incident, the stranger of the story
     'The Blue Bouquet' writes a letter to the narrator seeking apology for his rude behaviour in
     the street. What would be the letter like ? Write the letter.
24. Write a short profile of svetlana Alexievich, the winner of the Nobel prize for literature for
      the year 2014.Make use of the details given below.
      Born                       :    31 May 1948
     Career                     :    Investigative journalist and non-fiction prose writer
    Language                  :    Russian
Nobel Prize motivation  :    'her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage
                                         in our time'
Other works                 :   War's Unwomanly Face (1984),
The last witnesses         :    The Book of Unchildlike Stories, Voices from Chernobyl, Second-
                                         hand Time, Enchanted with Death (1993)
Awards                        :    Order of the Badge of Honour, National Books Critics Circle
                                          Award
Speciality                     :    First journalist to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature

Questions 25-29 : Read the newspaper headlines given below and answer the questions
that follow :
     (A)      GREENING MISSION GREAT SUCCESS
     (B)       INSTITUTIONS URGED TO CONDUCT CARBON AUDIT
     (C)       ENGLAND CONSIDERS THIRD SPINNER OPTION
     (D)       NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM BY MARCH
     (E)       SPEED THRILLS BUT KILLS


25.  Which headline reports a space science achievement ?

26.  Pick out the headline  associated with sports and games.

27. Select the headline that warns of accidents.

28. Find out the headline that speaks about planting trees.

29. Which headlines is connected with pollution control ?

30.  The following is a notice to students about classroom manners. But there are certain errors
      crept in while printing, which are underlined. Edit the notice.
                     
                       All students are requested to be on (a) the class by 9:30 a.m. When the teacher enters
     the class,students should stood up (b) and wish the teacher.Each student should respond to
    the roll call standing up and then sit down quitely (c). If a student is late by any emergency,
     she/he are (d) free to seek permission of the teacher to enter the class.
31. Complete the following conversation suitably :
      Hotelkeeper         :        (a)     ?
      Narrator               :    Out in the street. It is too hot to stay in my room.
     Hotelkeeper          :    But we don't have any streetlights there.
                                       you'd better     (b)
     Narrator                :    I  will be right back.
(In the street)
     Stranger                :    Don't move, senor, or you're dead.
    Narrator                 :        (c)          ?
    Stranger                 :    I want  your eyes, senor.
    Narrator                 :     (d)      ?
    Stranger                 :    It's my sweetheart's idea. She'd like to have a bouquet of blue eyes.
   Narrator                 :    My eyes are not blue,     (e)       ?
32.  Read the dialogue given below and answer the questions that follow :

        Banker              :    What kind of punishment is better ?
      Lawyer                :    Both the punishments are immoral.
       (a)     What did the banker ask the lawyer ?
       (b)     What did the lawyer reply ?

33.  Fill in the blanks with suitable forms of phrasal verbs from the box given below :
         The results of the annual exam have been  (a)      on the notice board of the school. Mira
         reached home and (b)      her uniform, and  (c)     to school. She checked the results and
        informed her classmate Ravi that he had  (d)      the examination.
 
       set off                 get through                put up                     put on            put up with

34. Look at the following word pyramid.

                                                                Eyes
                                                             The eyes
                                                          The blue eyes
                                                   The blue eyes of my friend
                                              The  blue eyes of my friend in the picture
Now, construct a word pyramid in the above pattern using the word,'mother'.