PRACTICE PAPER 10th Std

Section – A (Reading)

1 Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Drinking water plays a vital role in our lives. Consumers, these days are
choosing bottled water over tap water. This may be for several reasons,
including taste, quality, and convenience. The bottled water industry provides
citizens with clean and safe drinking water. In bottled water plants, water is
treated using several processes to obtain purified water as per government
standards. The treated water is bottled and sealed under hygienic conditions.
Bottled water is also a healthy alternative to packaged beverages that have
high sugar and calorie content, artificial flavoursand colours. Moreover, after
natural calamities such as floodsor fires,the public water resources often get
contaminated . During these times, bottled water becomes a reliable source for
clean and safe drinking water.
Although, advertisements of bottled water show images of beautiful streams
and pristine surroundings,many bottled water companies use public water
sources. Moreover, bottled water costs several times more than tap water! Tap
water may sometimes be less clean but it is better in taste.
Yet, Why do people all over the world buy millions of bottles of water every
week?
Bottled water companies use marketing tactics to influence people to buy
bottled water rather than consume tap water. Then, they argue that they are
meeting consumer demand. They call it the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the
world. However, a lot of fuel is utilized in making the plastic water bottles and
transporting them to different places. The biggest problem is the disposal of
empty bottles. Eighty percent of the empty bottles end up in landfills, where they will lie for
thousands of years. Others are burned in incinerators, releasing toxic
pollutants.The rest are recycled.
Ideally, bottles should be recycled back into bottles. Instead, these bottles are
turned into some other low quality product that would also be thrown later. The
parts that cannot be recycled are thrown away to form another heap of plastic
waste. In fact, plastic bottle industry is one of the causes of polluting water
resources. Around the world, about a billion people don’t have access to clean water. Yet,
many countries spend a large amount of money to deal with all the empty
plastic bottles.

Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to spend money to prevent pollution and improve
public water supply systems?

1.1 Answer the following questions.                                                                           2x4=8
(a) Why are people choosing bottled water over tap water?
(b) What are the advantages of tap water over bottled water?
(c) How is bottled water not an environmentally responsible product?
(d) What would be more worthwhile than spending money on disposing empty
plastic bottles?

2. Do as directed                                                                                                          1x4=4
(a) Most bottled water industries obtain water from ...
i. glaciers
ii. mountain streams
iii. public water sources
iv. oceans and seas

(b) The biggest problem with bottled water is ...
i. cost of water
ii. disposal of the bottle
iii. quality of plastic
iv. quality of water

(c) The antonym of the word ‘pristine’ (para 3) is ...
i. pure
ii. perfect
iii. soiled
iv. spotless

(d) Which word in the text means ‘strategies’ ...
i. access
ii. resources
iii. influences
iv. tactics

Section –B (Writing and Grammar)

1. Write an article in about 100/120 words on your state or any town in the state as
a place of tourist interest.
The article should include location, topography, tourist attractions, people,
languages spoken, flora and fauna, weather conditions, best time to visit and
other highlights.                                                                                                                   9

2. Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with the help of
the given options.                                                                                                           1x3=3

There has been a lot of (a)......... about why the teamplayed badly in the final of
the Champions Trophy.The coach claimed that it (b).........because of lack of
(c)............."
(a) (i) speculation (ii) speculate (iii) speculating (iv) speculator
(b) (i) has done (ii) did so (iii) have done (iv)do so
(c) (i) experiencing (ii) experienced (iii) experience (iv)experience able

3. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line.
Write the error and its correction as shown in the example.                                            1⁄2 x6=3

                                                                                                                   Error            Correction
The necessary of personal cleanliness and e.g necessary necessity
environment clean is known to us.                                                           (a)
An healthy environment                                                                           (b)
Has a bad effective on our body.Some people                                          (c)
understand the important of cleanliness and                                             (d)
follow right habitat. Others throw dirt and                                               (e)
filthy in the environment.                                                                          (f)

4. Look at the words and phrases below. Rearrange them to form
meaningful sentences. Write the correct sentences in your answer sheet.

                                                                                                                                          1x3 = 3
(a) of the/ President /crowd / waved / the/ his hand / the /cheers / to acknowledge
(b) of the rope strands is made many of fibre together woven
(c) Passengers / all/ the /The/ safety/ rescue ship/ brought back / to/ from/ the/
team sinking.

Section -C (Literature)

5. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

a) And somehow I had always been able to dig one up for him, so I’d begun to get
a bit cocky as to my ability’.                                                                                           (1x3=3)

(i) Who is referred to as ‘him’?
(ii) What was the speaker able to dig up for him?
(iii) What other job did the writer do?
(iv) What does the phrase ‘to get a bit cocky’ mean?

(b) ‘With sloping masts and dipping prow,
As who pursued with yell and blow                                                                                 (1x3=3)
Still treads the shadow of his foe,
And forward bends his head,
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,
The southward aye we fled.’

(i) Who is the pursuer (foe) and who is being pursued here?
(ii) Explain: ‘Still treads the shadow of his foe.’
(iii) In which direction did the ship flee?
(iv) Where did the ship reach after the storm?

6. Answer the following in 30-40 words.                                                                           2x2=4
(a) What surprising revelation is made by the ghost? Why did the writer not believe
her?
(b) What is the poet trying to convey through the poem – ‘The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner’?

7. Answer the following in 80-100 words.                                                                            2x4=8
(a) How did the narrator get rid of the Ouija board?
(b) Describe the hardships that the sailors had to undergo when the ship was
stuck in the silent sea.

8. Answer the following in 200-250 words.

 (a) Why did Helen feel compelled to give an account of the ‘Frost King’ episode?
(b) What was Mr.Anagnos’ attitude towards Helen in the “The Frost King’ episode?

PRACTICE PAPER 9th std

Section – A (Reading)

1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:       12
Gender equality/disparity has become one of the most important indicators of a
developed society. Women work participation is a ‘gender lens’ to look at this
problem. According to International Labour Organization statistics, societies still
having feudal ethos in the 21stcenturyhave the least women labour participation
rates, and hence the highest gender disparity ratios.
Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Iraq and Jordan have the least female participation
rates (around 16 per cent), but globally the rate is 50 per cent. India and
Pakistan record only 27 per cent, but Bangladesh has crossed the global
average with 57 per cent. Relatively small nations like Indonesia and Malaysia
also have touched the global average, but Vietnam, Zambia, Tanzania and
Uganda have the maximum rates around 75 per cent.
This shows that the correlation between women’s work participation rate and
gender equality is complex. No doubt, the least women participation in work is a
clear indication of sharp disparity. But mere increase in work participation is not
enough for gender equality since in some of the least developed countries with
high rates of work participation, women are forced to get involved in back-
breaking agriculture labour, often with very low wages and deprived of good
education and health care. Their families will starve if they are not in the fields.
India has to think about its low women workforce participation if it wants to get
into the real development orbit. Skilling the working population, especially the
women, must be the top priority. China could break the barriers of low women
work participation, and it is one of the reasons for their excellence in
manufacturing, especially in the small and medium enterprises. Non-farm
women’s work participation can only push their status up.
The Vietnamese experience provides more insights. Even with very high women
participation, the gender pay gap has widened while it declined in many
countries. ‘Equal pay for equal work’ has to be ensured if we are serious about
gender inequality.

1. Answer the following questions: 2x4=8
a) Which countries have the least women work participation rates? Which country
has crossed the global average?
b) Name two countries which have achieved the maximum rates inwomen’s work
participation.
c) Why is mere increase in work participation not enough for gender equality?
d) What is needed to push women’s status up? Why is ‘equal pay for equal work’
important?

2. Find meanings of the words given below with the help of the options that follow:
(a) feudal (para 1)
(i) modern
(ii) traditional
(iii) out dated
(iv) monarchical

(b) disparity (para3)
(i) equality
(ii) likeness
(iii) partiality
(iv) capacity

(c) deprived (para3)
(i) taken away
(ii) demotivated
(iii) given privacy
(iv) cheated

(d) barriers (para4)
(i) enclosures
(ii) disturbances
(iii) supports
(iv) hurdles

1x4=4

Section –B (Grammar)

1. Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with the help of the
given options.                                                                                                             1x5=5
A man saw a thief breaking into a house. Instead (a) ______ raising a cry, he
decided to catch (b) _______ thief red-handed. He entered the house through
the window and moved stealthily (c) ________ the door. The room was dark and
he could not hear anything. (d) _______ he approached the door, it suddenly
flung open from the other side. The other man asked, “What (e) _____ you doing
in my house?”
(a) (i) for (ii) of (iii) to (iv)on
(b) (i) the (ii) a (iii) an (iv)of
(c) (i) above (ii) towards (iii) away (iv)under
(d) (i) because (ii) since (iii) as (iv)soon
(e) (i) are (ii) am (iii) has (iv)is

2. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line.
Write the error and its correction as shown in the example.                                      1⁄2 x 6=3

Error Correction

The auditorium was decorated by
buntings.                                                                                                                  e.g by with

Chairs is neatly arranged in rows for
the invitees.                                                                                             (a)
The dais was a beautiful backdrop.                                                         (b)
The principal escorted a chief guest to
the stage.                                                                                                  (c)
When they some occupied their seats,                                                     (d)
two girls sung the prayer.                                                                         (e)
Later that the principal read the annual
report.                                                                                                       (f)

3. Look at the words and phrases below. Rearrange them to form meaningful
sentences. Write the correct sentences in your answer sheet.

                                                                                                                                 1x 4=4

(a) four\divided\the question\ has been\section\paper\into\the
(b) five/multiple choice/passage/questions /each/followed/will be /by
(c) vocabulary/out of /marks /twenty /for/marks/will be/four
(d) marks /of the/ assigned / section/ will be /rest /to the/ literature

Section - C (Literature)

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
(i) You are an exception. Frenchmen usually have to consult about ten people
before they get a move on. Listen! Do you or don't you want to sellthis house?       1x3=3

(a) Who is ‘You’ referred to in the above lines?
(b) How does the speaker rate the Frenchmen?
(c) Why does Jeanne want to buy a villa?

5. Answer the following in 30-40 words.                                                                     2x2=4
(a) Why was Gaston not interested in buying the villa in the beginning?
(b) Why did Mrs. Al Smith say that the ‘French people have a cute way of doing
business’?
6. Answer the following question in 80-100 words. 6x1=6
(a) Discuss the character traits of Mrs Al Smith. What is her significance in the
context of the lesson?

PRACTICE SHEET 9th st

Section – A

 (Reading)

1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: 1x8=8
Despite the name electric eel, the electric eel is actually related most closely to a
catfish and not the common eel fish. Many electric eel adults tend to be smaller
than their eel fish counterparts. Electric eels are solitary animals. A group of eels
is called swarm. The critters are native to South American rivers, but they don’t
spend all their time underwater. They live in shallow, muddy water and come to
the surface every ten minutes because they breathe atmospheric air.
Their long and cylindrical body can be white, black, blue, purple or grey in
colour. A fully grown electric eel can be up to eight feet long and weigh forty four
pounds! All of an electric eel’s vital organs are crammed into the front twenty
percent of its body. The rest is packed with six thousand cells that act like tiny
batteries that can zap out more than six hundred volts! The shock that the
electric eel produces is enough to harm any large mammal, including humans.
The electric eel produces two types of electrical discharge: low voltage and high
voltage. The low voltage discharge is used for electrolocation; the electric eel
uses the electrical field to ‘see’ its surroundings and to locate its prey. This
ability, together with the electric eel’s acute sense of smell, allows it to navigate
in dark and cloudy water. The electric eel is even able to detect different colours
using electricity, because each colour has a slightly different conductivity.
The high voltage discharge by the electric eel is used to immobilize or kill its
prey and also as a means of defence against potential predators..
Electric eels mainly eat invertebrates such as crabs and shrimp. Adults also eat
fish, amphibians and small mammals. Electric eels have also been known to eat
fruit that falls into the water. They’re mostly blind and use a radar like system of
electrical pulses to navigate and find food. Newly hatched eels eat small
invertebrates but they also search nests of other eels and steal their eggs. Both
parents take care of their young.
Eels’ thick skin normally insulates them from their own attacks, but when
wounded, they’ll shock themselves! Fatal attacks on humans are rare, but that
doesn’t mean eels are harmless. People have drowned after being shocked.
Electric eel lives around fifteen years in the wild and up to twenty years in
captivity.

a) Answer the following questions:
(i) Why do electric eels come to the surface every ten minutes?
(ii) Which part of an electric eel’s body contains its vital organs?
(iii) How does an electric eel navigate in dark and cloudy water?
(iv) How is the electric eel able to detect different colours?
(v) How does an electric eel use the high voltage discharge that comes out of its
body?
(vi) How do the electric eels find their food?
(vii) What do the newly hatched eels eat?
(viii) What is the lifespan of an electric eel?

Section –B (Writing and Grammar)

2. Write a story in 150-200 words based on the input given below:
Raman opened the factory door – peeped inside – some – light – last shift over – could be thieves........
8

3. Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with the help of the
given options. 1x3=3

What do you think I (a) ____________ see in London first? asked Meera. “Well!”
said her friend “I think, you (b) ___________ go to Westminster Abbey, and if
you (c) ____________, go to the House of Parliament and the National Gallery.”
(a) (i) shall (ii) will (iii) ought to (iv)could’nt
(b) (i) wouldn’t (ii) should (iii) would (iv)mustn’t
(c) (i) can (ii) could’nt (iii) may (iv)have to
4. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line.
Write the error and its correction as shown in the example.1⁄2 x6=3

Error Correction

You will know the story of Helen Keller
who                                                                                               e.g will may

can neither see nor hear from the time
she was a small girl.                                                                (a) ___________ ___________
After her sickness, her parents realised
that they may do                                                                      (b) ___________ ___________

their best to help her. Her parents hired
Annie who will press                                                               (c) ___________ ___________

the letters of the words in to Helen's
hand. Helen may have                                                             (d) ___________ ___________

been very bright because soon Helen
might read entire books                                                           (e) ___________ ___________

in Braille. I believe we would learn a lot
from Helen.                                                                             (f) ___________ ___________


5. Look at the words and phrases below. Rearrange them to form meaningful
sentences. Write the correct sentences in your answer sheet.

1x 3=3

(a) is one/ summer visitors/ the/ of the/ swallow/ best known
(b) often/ open space/ swallows/ over/ seen skimming/ a pond/ or/ are/ an
(c) sometimes/ a busy/ they may/ down/ be found/ city street/ hunting insects

Section -C (Literature)

6. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
(i) Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of today?
Some natural sorrow, loss or pain,
That has been, may be again. 1x3=3

(a) What does ‘it’ refer to in the above extract?
(b) Explain ‘humble lay’.
(c) What does the poet wish to convey with the words - ‘that has been and may be
again’?

(ii) By this the storm grew loud apace,
The water-wraith was shrieking;
And in the scowl of heaven each face
Grew dark as they were speaking,

(a) Who were speaking?
(b) What change takes place while they were speaking?
(c) What does the darkness of the sky symbolize?

7. Answer the following in 30-40 words. 2x1=2
(a) What speculation does the poet make about the possible theme of the reaper’s
song?
(b) “The water-wraith was shrieking.” Is the symbolism in this line a premonition of
what happens at the end? Give reasons for your answer.

8. Answer the following question in 80-100 words. 6x1=6
(a) What qualities make the solitary reaper unforgettable?
(b) Why is Lord Ullin angry? What does he do to show his anger? What change
comes over him in the end?

GRAMMAR PRACTICE SHEET 9 and 10 std

GRAMMAR PRACTICE SHEET for 9 and 10 std

1.Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks by choosing the most appropriate options
from the ones given below. Write the answer in your answer sheet against the correct
blanks.

1. In volcanic areas, underground water (a) _______ often rise to a temperature of 2000C.
Nowadays, wells (b) ________ drilled to extract the steam which is used to drive turbines.
This is (c) ________ of the world's fastest growing sources of energy. (d) ________ the
water is heated by enormous reservoirs of cooling rock several kilometers across,
geothermal steam is regarded to be a renewable energy resource.

(a) (i) could (ii) can (iii) must (iv)might
(b) (i) is (ii) been (iii) are (iv)being
(c) (i) one (ii) any (iii) some (iv)few
(d) (i) As (ii) While (iii) Even (iv)Though

2. Japan has many things in common (a) ___________ India. India is a democratic country
and so (b) ________ Japan. We have two houses of Parliament and so (c) __________
Japan. So they have a form (d) __________ government which is very much like ours.

(a) (i) to (ii) with (iii) in (iv)on
(b) (i) were (ii) does (iii) is (iv)has
(c) (i) does (ii) will (iii) may (iv)might
(d) (i) with (ii) for (iii) at (iv)of

3. Rameswaram captures the essence (a) ____________ the rich Tamil culture and lore.
The legacy of the Ramayana still survives in Rameswaram, a little island (b)
____________ the southeast coast of India. The (c) ___________ prominent heritage of
its association (d) ___________ the epic was undoubtedly, the Rameswaram temple,
believed to be built by none other than Lord Rama.

(a) (i) an (ii) the (iii) of (iv)for
(b) (i) off (ii) with (iii) of (iv)beside
(c) (i) much (ii) most (iii) more (iv)many
(d) (i) to (ii) from (iii) by (iv)with

II. The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line against
which a blank has been given. Write the incorrect word and the correction in your
answer sheet against the correct blank number given in the example. Remember to
underline the word that you have supplied.


1. Error Correction
Rubber, what is in common use, e.g.: what that/which
is of two types, name, natural rubber
and synthetic rubber. Natural rubber come
from a juice of a rubber tree while
synthetic rubber is made with
chemicals. Rubber whether natural and
synthetic, is one of a most versatile
material available to the industry.

2. Error Correction
The liver is a large but vitally e.g.: but and
important organ into the abdomen.
It can be think of as a living
laboratory or the chemical plant. More
than hundred different processes are know
to take place in it. It has reddish
brown in colour and locating in the upper
abdominal cavity between the diaphragm for the ribs.

3. Error Correction
Mount Kailash, on the central e.g.: on in
Himalayas, is saying to be
the abode to Lord Shiva. In
paintings and sculptures, a Lord
is shown into deep meditation,
sitting in a tiger skin and
surrounded off snowy
peaks. It has situated in Tibet.

III. Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences :
(a) the fittest / survival / law of nature / of/ the/ is
(b) strong/ be / or / others / slave /shall/you/ make
(c) are felt / salty/sweet tastes/ and / our tongue / tip/ by/ of/ the
(d) is detected / the buds / sour taste / by / of/ the tongue / sides/ on / the
(e) necessary / punctuality / all public affairs / a civilized society/ habit / should be / of / in / a

THREE MEN IN A BOAT ch 4-9

THREE MEN IN A BOAT ch 4-9

Answer the following questions in 120 -150 words.

1. What was the contribution of Harris and George to the task of packing?

George and Harris started packing in a typical fashion. They started with
breaking a cup. They packed strawberry jam on top of the tomatoes and
squashed them. Then they packed pastries at the bottom and heavy things
were loaded on them. Naturally, pastries were smashed. Moreover, they tried
to put butter in the kettle. It would not go in and what was in it would not
come out. Finally George and Harris managed to get it out and they put it on
the chair and Harris sat on it. When packing was completed, Harris sat on the
hamper hoping nothing would be found broken.

2. What problems do the pungent cheeses create for the author? What did Tom do to
get rid of them?

Tom once requested the author to take a couple of cheeses from Liverpool to
London. The smell of cheese made the horse dash off in terror. He could be
controlled only when a clever porter put the handkerchief over the horse’s
nose. In the train people ran out of the bogey as the smell was so strong as
they were not able to tolerate it. Even his friend, Tom’s wife reacted sharply
to the smell of cheeses and decided to go a hotel with her children until the
cheeses were eaten. Finally, Tom had to take them to the beach and bury
them there.

3. Describe the china dog that ornamented the bedroom of the author? Why are we
not able to see the beauty of the china dog in the current age?

The china dog that ornamented the bedroom of the author was a white dog.
Its eyes were blue and its nose was a delicate red, with black spots. Its head
was painfully erect, its expression was amiability carried to the verge of
imbecility. It irritated the author, his thoughtless friends jeered at it and even
his landlady had no admiration for it.
We are not able to see the beauty of the china dog in the current age as we
are too familiar with it. It is like the sunset and the stars. We are not awed by
its loveliness because it is common to our eyes.

4. How do the friends reach Kingston to start their holiday trip on the river Thames?

On the day that the friends were to start a journey, they took a cab and
reached waterloo at eleven, but nobody knew where the eleven five for
Kingston started from. Since they were not sure about the train they asked
the porters about it, who themselves seemed confused. Then they asked the
traffic superintendent and the station master and the authorities of number
three platform but they gave them contradicting information. Much to their
surprise even the engine driver didn’t know either as to where they were
headed. They bribed him and reached Kingston by London and South
Western Railway. It was later found that the train was really the Exeter mail.

5. What actually happened to Harris at the maze in Hampton Court?

Harris went into maze to show it to his country cousin. Theymet some people
who were lost in the maze for about three quarters of an hour. Harris asked
them to follow him. Harris kept on turning to the right but it seemed a long
way till they passed the half of a penny bun on the ground that Harris’s
cousin swore he had noticed seven minutes ago. Harris thought they should
go back to the entrance and try again but he failed. They called the young
keeper who not able to locate them and also got lost. The old keeper came
after lunch and rescued them.

6. Describe the incident in the party where Herr Slossenn Boschen sang his song?

It was a highly cultured party. Two young men who just returned from
Germany said that Herr Slossenn Boschen would sing a comic song for
them. They said nobody could sing it like Her Slossenn Boschen. As the
song started, everyone in crowd including the narrator fixed their eyes on
young men as they didn’t understand German. When they laughed everyone
laughed and when they roared, all roared. The German Professor did not
seem happy and the expression on his face was one of intense surprise.
After he finished singing, the audience remarked that it was really the
funniest thing that they ever heard in their lives. Actually, the German
Professor had sung a sad song. The two young men disappeared. He told
that he only knew to sing the song in German. He felt very insulted and the
party ended.

7. Describe the incident when the narrator went on a boating trip with two beautifully
dressed ladies.

Once the narrator went on a boat trip with two ladies. They had put on silky
stuff, ribbons, dainty shoes and light gloves and were beautifully dressed.
But they were dressed for a photographic studio and not for a river picnic.
While stepping in boat, the first thing that they noticed was that the boat was
not clean so the narrator and his friend dusted all the seats for them but the
ladies did not believe them. They thought that a drop of water would destroy
their dress. The narrator tried his best, but could not prevent a few drops of
water falling on their clothes. The girls did not complain but huddled close
together and every time a drop touched them, they visibly shrank and
shuddered. The ladies felt relieved when he asked another man to row. But
the man spread more than a pint of water on their dresses, they began to
protect themselves with their lace parasols and drew rugs and coats over
themselves.

8. What happened to George’s father and his friend in ‘The Pig and Whistle’ inn?

George’s father and his friend had a jolly evening at the ‘The Pig and Whistle’
inn and were to sleep in the same room, but in different beds. They took the
candle and went up. When they got into the room the candle lurched and
went out. They undressed in dark and instead of getting into separate beds,
they climbed into the same bed unknowingly. The only difference was one
lay with his feet next to the other's head. Each thought that there was
another man in his bed. They both fought with each other not knowing that
the other person was his friend. Each complained to the other that there was
someone else in their bed then the other advised them to throw out the
intruder. Finally they threw each other out and all landed on the floor. They
thought that it was not a very nice inn as strange things happened in it.

9. Describe the incident when narrator went with his cousin on a river trip.

Once the narrator went on a river trip with his cousin who was a young lady.
They reached Benson's lock at half-past six and his cousin was eager to
reach home before evening. The narrator drew out a map and found that they
would reach Walling ford Lock in half an hour and in another five minutes
they would reach Cleeve. They rowed on, and did not see a lock. His cousin
thought that they were lost and started crying. Jerome got nervous but he
still went on pulling. The river grew more and more gloomy and mysterious
under the gathering shadows of the night but still there was no lock.
Suddenly, they heard the sweet sounds of an accordion and a boat came
along. Jerome asked them about Walling ford Lock. They told him that there
was no Wallingford lock for the last one year but they were very close to
Cleeve now. They got home in time for supper.

10. How did Harris and Jim get blackmailed at Kempton park? Describe their reaction.

Harris and Jerome stopped under the willows in Kempton Park for lunch. It
was a pretty little spot with a pleasant grass plateau. They had just begun to
eat the bread and jam when a gentleman in shirt-sleeves and a short-pipe
came along. He said that they were trespassing and it was his duty to turn
them off. They replied that they had not thought about this matter. Harris was
a well-made man and looked hard and bony so he asked him how he would
accomplish his task. He said that he would consult his master and then come
back and chuck them both into the river. Then he went away but never
returned. Actually he wanted a shilling and was trying to blackmail them. But
both Harris and Jim refused to be blackmailed. This made them angry and
Jerome wanted to kill the owner but Harris wanted to kill him, his family,
relatives and burn down his house.

GRAMMAR PRACTICE SHEET 10th std

GRAMMAR PRACTICE SHEET 10th std

Complete the following paragraphs by filling in the blanks with the help of given
options.

1. I'm not going to the camp but Martha is going (a) ............Tell her to get there on time!
Don’t worry. I (b)............She will enjoy (c)......... as much as I will.
(a) (i) why (ii) there (iii) here (iv) where
(b) (i) could (ii) would (iii) won’t (iv) will
(c) (i) so (ii) it (iii) do (iv) on

2. I haven’t been abroad. My family hasn’t (a)............... Some of my friends were going on
a trip to china so i decided to join. (b)...........I thought it was a great idea, but my family
(c)........
(a) (i)neither (ii) nor (iii) either (iv) or
(b) (i) they (ii) them (iii) him (iv) her
(c) (i)didn’t (ii) did (iii) do (iv) don’t

3. Frank painted the room himself, but I wish he (a)................... He made a terrible mess
of (b) ........... Redoing the painting was one option, leaving it as it is the (c).....
(a) (i) hadn’t (ii) had (iii) did (iv) does
(b) (i) these (ii) this (iii) them (iv) it
(c) (i) one (ii) another (iii) other (iv) also

4. During the summer vacations, I wanted to learn swimming and karate. (a)......... are
useful skills but I decided to train for the (b)......... .After spending an hour each day in
the pool, I didn’t think I could do (c)........
(a) (i) few (ii) both (iii) all (iv) some
(b) (i) latter (ii) other (iii) former (iv) another
(c) (i) this (ii) those (iii) so (iv) as


Fill in the blanks with the correct word to avoid repetition. (a) I would love ski, but I’ll never be able .......... (b) I go to the library to borrow books. The ......... I borrow are usually science fictions.
(c) I hope the taxi arrives soon, if it ........... we will miss the flight.
(d) I thought I had seen the film earlier but I ............ (e) Did you take my scissors? I didn’t but Tina ............She is doing some craft work.
(f) The coach asked them to report at 6a.m and all of them did ..............

Look at the words and phrases below. Rearrange them to form meaningful
sentences
(a) requested / me / garage/ my son / to help / clean / the / I
(b) bookshelves / by/ librarian / the / books / the / were arranged / on / the /
(c) Weather / were / unable / due to / to go / out / We / bad

PRACTICE SHEETS FOR BOTH 9 & 10th std

CREATIVE WRITING

LETTER/ARTICLE/STORY WRITING

1.Many students from different parts of the country come to Delhi to study. Finding
affordable accommodation is the main problem faced by them. Landlords charge
exorbitant rents and in some cases refuse to rent rooms to them because of their
different food habits and culture. The hostel facility provided by educational institutions
is too inadequate to meet the demand.
Write a letter in 100 to 120 words to the editor of a local daily drawing attention of the
authorities and requesting them to take appropriate action. You are Raman/ Raveena,
12, Station Road, Delhi. (CBSE 2017)

2. Accidents happen when people violate traffic rules. Careless drivers cause suffering to
themselves and to others. Write an article in 100 to 120 words on “Safe Driving”.(CBSE
2017)

3. Write a story in 150 to 200 words based on the input given below:(CBSE 2017)

(a) Travelling in metro ----- tunnel ----- lights went out ------ general panic ------- pushing
and shoving ------ screams ------- phone flashlights switched on ------- an old man ..........
(b) Mrs.Madhu alone in the house ---- had lunch ---- watching favourite serial ---- doorbell rang ---- opened door ----- a sadhu........

HELEN KELLER Ch 8-13

HELEN KELLER Ch 8-13

Answer the following question in 150 —200 words.

1. Why did Helen call Boston "the city of kind hearts"?

Helen's experiences with kind people in Boston have greatly influenced her thoughts
about the city. Because of the people, Helen will forever equate Boston with kindness,
welcome and compassion. The main example of someone who embodies the spirit of
such welcoming hospitality would be Mr William Endicott. Helen tells us that she was
thinking of Mr Endicott when she called Boston, ‘The City Of Kind Hearts’. Mr Endicott
opens up his house to Helen and talks to her as if they are great friends who have
always enjoyed each other's company.
Another example is that of Mr Anagnos (director of the Perkins Institution For The
Blind in Boston). When Helen's father writes to request a teacher for Helen, we are
told that Mr. Anagnos answers with a 'kind letter' filled with 'the comforting assurance
that a teacher had been found.'
In May 1888, Helen gets a chance to visit the Perkins Institution For The Blind. Her joy
is complete when the children greet her with eagerness and enthusiasm. She feels so
thoroughly at home in Boston that she begins to regard Boston ‘as the beginning and
the end of creation’.

2. What caused Helen to take dive in the cold water? What happened after she plunged into
cold water?

Helen was delighted to know that she and her teacher would spend their vacation at
Brewster, on Cape God. Her mind was full of prospective joys and the wonderful
stories she had heard about the sea. She had always lived far inland. She also read a
big book called ‘Our World’ a description of the ocean which filled her with wonder
and intense desire to touch the mighty sea. All of these caused Helen to plunge into
the sea water without any fear. She was enjoying it until her foot struck against a rock
and the water rushed over her head. She found nothing to hold on to as there was
nothing except water and sea weeds. However, she was fortunate that waves threw
her back on the shore where her teacher picked her up in her arms.

3. Describe Helen’s First Christmas after Miss Sullivan’s arrival.


The first Christmas after Miss Sullivan’s arrival was great for Helen. Everyone in her
family planned surprises for Helen. She was also preparing her surprises with her
teacher. They kept up a guessing game which taught Helen more about the use of
language. They played the guessing game every evening which grew more and more
exciting as Christmas approached. Helen was invited by the Tuscumbia school
children to their decorated Christmas tree. She danced and jumped around the tree in
an excitement. She gave gifts to other children. She also wanted to know what she
was to receive on that occasion. In the morning, when she got up she found a lot of
gifts for her. She was most delighted by her teacher’s gift which was a canary. She
enjoyed Christmas a lot.

4. Describe Helen Keller’s stay at the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.

It was Alexander Graham Bell who advised Helen’s parents to contact the Perkins
Institute for Blind for her education. It was the institute where Laura Bridgman, a deaf
and blind child had been educated. It was located in South Boston. Michael
Anaganos, the director, asked Anne Sullivan to become Keller’s instructor. Helen
made friends with the little blind children. It was a unique pleasure to talk with other
blind children in herown language. Until then she had been speaking through an
interpreter like a foreigner. All the eager and loving children gathered round her and
joined heartily in her frolics. They could read the books with their fingers. They were
so happy and contented that she lost all sense of pain in the pleasure of their
companionship. With the blind children she felt thoroughly at home in her new
environment.


5. How did Helen spend her mornings at the Fern Quarry one summer?

One summer, Helen had her pony at Fern Quarry. She had named him ‘Black Beauty’
because of his strong resemblance to the one in the book she had just read. She
spent the happiest hours on his back accompanied by her teacher. On mornings
when she did not want to ride, she and her teacher would go rambling in the woods
after breakfast and returned with armfuls of laurel, goldenrod, ferns and swamp-
flowers.
Sometimes she went with Mildred and her little cousins to hunt for persimmons in the
leaves and grass but did not eat them. She liked their fragrance. They also went
nutting and she helped them open the chestnut burrs and break the shells of hickory
nuts and walnuts.
At the foot of the mountain was the railroad and the children watched the trains whiz
by.

6. How does Helen describe the snowstorm?

The snowflakes dropped silently and softly from the airy height to the earth. In the
morning no feature of the landscape was recognizable. All roads were hidden, not a
single landmark was visible. In the evening, a wind from the north east sprang up and
the snowflakes moved around in a furious melee. The family sat around the fire and
told merry tales and frolicked and forgot that they were shut off from the outside
world. During the night, the fury of the wind increased and filled them with vague
terror.
The rafters creaked and stained. The branches of the trees rattled and beat against
the windows.
The storm subsided after three days. The sun shone upon the area and piles of snow
lay scattered everywhere. Before these drifts could shrink there was another
snowstorm.

7. How does the author explain the use of the manual alphabet to speak to?

Helen explains the use of the manual alphabet in speaking to those who are blind and
deaf. Because it seems to puzzle people who do not know people like her.
One who reads or talks to her spells with his hand, using the single hand manual
alphabet generally employed by the deaf. She places her hand on the hand of the
speaker, very lightly so that the speaker’s finger movements are not hindered. The
position of the hand is as easy to feel as it is to see. She says that she does not feel
each letter any more than we see each letter separately when we read.
Constant practice makes the fingers very flexible, and some of her friends spell
rapidly—about as fast as an expert writes on a typewriter. The mere spelling is no
more a conscious act than it is in writing.

8. Describe Helen Keller’s journey in learning to speak.

The impulse to utter audible sounds had always been strong within Helen.
Before she lost her sight and hearing, she was fast learning to talk but after her
illness she made many sounds because the need of exercising her vocal organs was
imperative.
Although Miss Sullivan began to teach her, she was dissatisfied with the means of
communication and felt a sense of restraint and began to agitate her.
One day, Mrs. Lamson, one of Laura Bridgman's teachers, came to see Helen, and
told her of Ragnhild Kaata, a deaf and blind girl in Norway who had been taught to
speak.
Helen was filled with eagerness and did not rest until her teacher took her to Miss
Sarah Fuller. The lady offered to teach Helen herself. Through Miss Fuller's method
she learnt six elements of speech in an hour. Miss Fuller gave her eleven lessons and
she uttered her first connected sentence, "It is warm." True, they were broken and
stammering syllables but they were human speech.
Due to Miss Sullivan's genius and untiring perseverance and her own laboured
practice night and day, Helen progressed towards natural speech.

HELEN KELLER Ch 4-7

HELEN KELLER Ch 4-7

Answer the following question in 150 —200 words.

1. In ‘The Story of My Life’ by Helen Keller, what kind of "peculiar sympathy" did Miss
Sullivan have with Helen's ‘pleasures and desires’?

In The Story of My Life, Helen Keller's autobiography of the first twenty-two years of
her life, Helen reveals the special relationship she has with Annie Sullivan. Helen
remembers the day she met Annie as ‘the most important day in all my life’ and she is
well aware of Annie's contribution to her own development. Annie is only partially
sighted herself and has had her own difficult childhood which allows her to
understand Helen's many frustrations. Annie could relate to Helen like no-one else
can.
It is this unsaid understanding or "peculiar sympathy" which Helen refers to that
allows Annie to help Helen achieve what she couldn’t otherwise. Helen admits that,
because of Annie, she learns ‘from life itself’. She cannot explain it herself but does
acknowledge Annie's long association with the blind. She also recognizes Annie's
wonderful faculty for description and the fact that she does not deliberate on previous
day's lessons. Helen appreciates her style and the way Annie introduced dry
technicalities of science little by little, all of which ensure that Helen cannot help
remembering what she taught.

2. How can you say that Helen read and studied out of doors.

Usually students read and study in their classrooms, but for Helen Keller whole
nature was her classroom. Most of her learning took place out of doors. This way she
learnt more about the world around her. She was close to the nature. Generally
students read with books but Helen Keller read by using her sense of smell and
touch. In a way, nature became her teacher, guide and philosopher. She learnt from
nature that everything has beauty of its own. Miss Sullivan provided her practical
knowledge of everything. Helen read Geography by raised maps in clay. She touched
and felt the opening up of a plant. The study of tadpole made her understand that for
creatures their natural habitats are indispensable. So Helen learnt from life itself and
in this learning her teacher played an exemplary role. It was she who made her
education appear like a game. Helen learnt more out of doors and nature herself
unfolded the book of life for her.


3. Helen learnt a new lesson that “Nature wages open war against her children and
under softest touch hides treacherous claws”. How did Helen learn that lesson?

The benevolent aspect of nature thrilled Helen, but soon she learnt that nature could
be ferocious also. Once Helen along with Miss Sullivan, were returning from a walk.
The weather grew warm and humid. They stood under the cool shade of a tree. With
her teacher’s help Helen sat amidst the branches. Miss Sullivan went to fetch lunch
leaving Helen all alone. Suddenly, the weather changed and a thunderstorm was
imminent. Helen felt paralysed and frightened and she wanted to climb down from the
tree. She clung to the branch with all her might as the tree swayed and strained. The
branches lashed about her. She felt as if she would fall and at that very moment Miss
Sullivan came and helped her down. Helen had learnt a new lesson that “Nature
wages open war against her children and under softest touch hides treacherous
claws”. She learnt a great lesson that life is not always pleasant and one should be
prepared for the risks and stakes also.

4. How did Helen learn to read? Describe Helen’s long process of learning?

Learning to read was an important step in Helen’s education. Miss Sullivan gave her
slips of cardboard on which raised letters were printed words. Helen learnt that each
printed word stood for an object, an act or a quality. She learnt to use these words in
making short sentences. One day she pinned the word ‘girl’ on her pinafore and stood
in the wardrobe. On it, she arranged the words ‘is in wardrobe’. Miss Sullivan and
Helen played this game for hours together. From the printed slips Helen moved to the
printed book “Reader for Beginners” and hunted for the words she knew. Gradually, she began to read. Once she brought some flowers for her teacher. Miss Sullivan
spelled into her hand, “I love Helen.” Helen asked “what is love?” Initially, she failed
to understand. One day as she was trying to string beads of different sizes in
symmetrical groups, she made many mistakes. Unknowingly she tried to think how
she could arrange them. Miss Sullivan touched her forehead and spelled, “Think”. In a
flash she learnt that the word was the name of the feeling that was going on in her
head. Thus, she learnt about an abstract idea.

5. How did Helen learn subjects like Geography, History and Science?

Helen had a different way of learning subjects like Geography, History, Science. She
walked down with Miss Sullivan to an old tumble-down lumber wharf on the
Tennessee River which was used during the Civil War to land soldiers. She built dams
of pebbles, made islands and lakes, dug river-beds, never realising that she was
learning a lesson. She listened to Miss Sullivan’s descriptions of burning mountains,
buried cities, moving rivers of ice, etc. She made raised maps on clay so that she
could feel the mountain ridges and valley and follow the course of river with her
fingers. She learnt Arithmetic by stringing beads in groups and by arranging
kindergarten straws she learned to add and subtract. She studied Zoology and Botany
also in a leisurely manner. She listened carefully to the description of terrible beasts
which tramped the forests and died in the swamps of an unknown age. She learnt
about the growth of a plant by planting a lily in her balcony.

6. How did Anne Sullivan make Helen understand the meaning of word ‘Love’?

Miss Sullivan was a great teacher for Helen. One day, when Helen brought violets for
her teacher. She gently put her arm around Helen and spelled on her hand that she
loved Helen. When Helen asked what love is, Miss Sullivan drew her closer and
pointed towards her heart and told her that love is here. Helen felt the beat of heart
but couldn’t understand the meaning of love. She was disappointed that her teacher
couldn’t show her the love.
Once, Helen was arranging beads in symmetrical pattern but found it difficult. Miss
Sullivan touched her forehead and spelled ‘think’. Helen quickly understood that the
word was the name of process that was going on in her head.
This was her first conscious perception of an abstract idea.
Miss Sullivan explained her that love is like the clouds that we cannot touch. But
when it rains, flowers and the thirsty earth feel glad to have it. We cannot touch love
but can feel the sweetness that it pours into everything. Without love no one can be
happy. This made Helen understood the meaning of love.