ENGLISH 2022
Full Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 30
Time: Three Hours
The figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions.
SECTION – A
(Reading Skill : 10 Marks)
1. Read the following passage carefully:
People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy. It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey. Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so. If you are lucky enough to get a couchette, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your passport when you cross a frontier. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted.
Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motor-ways you can at least travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on narrow, bumpy roads which are crowded with traffic. By comparison, trips by sea offer a great variety of civilized comforts. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, swim, meet interesting people and enjoy good food – always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to get sea-sick, no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea-journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of travelling on a ship.
Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travelers are intimidated by them. They also have the grave disadvantage of being the most expensive form of transport. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort. Travelling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a free film show and sip a not or could drink on some services. But even when such refreshments are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied. An aeroplane offers you an unusual breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken clouds, plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain; you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled. You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey.
On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions:
- Write two reasons for the difficulty of reading on a train in long distance travelling. 2
- What are the two disadvantages of travelling by sea? 2
- Write two disadvantages of travelling by air. 2
- Why does the writer dislike long car journeys? 2
- Find a word in the passage which means “lacking fresh air or ventilation”. 1
- Give an antonym of “narrow”. 1
SECTION – B
(Advanced Writing Skills : 25 Marks)
2. You are Arnab/Anamika, President of the Students’ Union of your college. Your college is organizing an “Inter-College Song and Dance Competition” in the next month. Write a notice for the college notice board giving all the details of the event. (Word Limit : 50 words) 5
Or
Design a poster in not more than 50 words to create awareness about the safety measures to be taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. 5
3. Your school has recently organized a function to felicitate Lovlina Borgohain, the Olympic bronze medalist. Prepare a report on that event in 100-125 words to be published in your school magazine. 10
Or
Your state government had banned the use of plastic bags. You are Ranjit/Ranjita, a reporter of ‘The Assam Tribune’. Write a report in 100-125 words on how the ban is being ignored and what damage the indiscriminate use of plastic bags is causing to the environment. 10
4. You are Navanil/Navanita. You have seen an advertisement in a newspaper for a post of a Computer assistant in the local post-office. Write an application, along with your detailed resume, to the Post-Master in response to the advertisement applying for the post. 10
Or
You are Selim/Surabhi. Write a letter to the Editor of ‘The Sentinel’ drawing the attention of the authorities to the frequent violation of traffic rules in your locality. 10
SECTION – C
(Grammar : 20 Marks)
5. Change the form of the narration in the following sentences: (any two) 2×2=4
- “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?” the teacher asks the girl. “My mother did not bring them down from the shelf”, she answers simply.
- I asked my friend why he looked so sad. He replied that his father was seriously ill and there was little hope for his recovery.
- My friend said to me, “I am very thirsty. Please give me a glass of water”.
- Reena asked the boy what the matter was and why he was crying. She also advised him to be cheerful.
6. Change the voice of any three of the following sentences: 1×3=3
- He bought his son a watch.
- The girl was punished for misconduct.
- Why did no one inform me of the change of plan?
- The blind man was being led by a little boy.
- The coast is training the players.
- Drive the car slowly.
- He will be forgotten in a few days.
7. Rewrite any five of the following sentences using the verbs given in brackets in their correct tense forms: 1×5=5
- She (talk) to her neighbour when the baby began to cry.
- I (see) him a week ago.
- If you (try) had you would have succeeded.
- We reached the station after the train (leave).
- He (make) a doll now.
- I wish I (were) a bird.
- I (do) a lot of work today.
- She (come) here the day after tomorrow.
- She (read) the novel for the last three days.
8. Rewrite any four of the following sentences filling in the blanks with appropriate prepositions: 1×4=4
- I am very much interested _______ your story.
- The police ran _______ the thief.
- He has no money _______ him.
- She takes pride _______ her wealth.
- I wonder if you could get it done _______ tomorrow.
- Cut the rope _______ a knife.
- India is rich _______ minerals.
- One must abide _______ one’s promise.
9. Rewrite any four of the following sentences as directed: 1×4=4
- Is this the kind of dress to wear in school? (Make it an assertive sentence)
- He worked hard to pass the examination. (Make it a complex sentence)
- Kindly do me a favour _______. (Add a question tag)
- Atul is the best boy in the class. (Change it into positive degree)
- I shall remember your kindness forever. (Make it negative without changing the meaning)
- Everyone wishes to be happy. (Make it interrogative)
- On seeing the lion, he ran away. (Make it a compound sentence)
SECTION – D
(Text books : 45 Marks)
10. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:
- “Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.”
Questions:
- What are the different kinds of wars mentioned by the poet in the passage? 1
- What kind of victory do they achieve? 1
- What should the warmongers do? 1
- Find words in the passage that mean “those left alive” and “win”. 1
Or
- “The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Or if ever aside a moment, then out of
sorts.
At having the landscape marred with the
artless paint
Of sings that with N turned wrong and S
Turned wrong
Offered for sell wild berries in wooden
quarts,
Or crook-necked golden squash with silver
warts,
Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene,
You have the money, but if you want to be
Mean,
Why keep your money (this crossly) and go
along.”
Questions:
- How did the traffic pass? 1
- Why did one turn out of sorts? 1
- What are the two things that were sold in that stand? 1
- What should one do if one wants to be mean? 1
11. Answer any three of the following questions in 30-40 words: 2×3=6
- Describe the things that cause suffering and pain mentioned by Keats in ‘A Thing of Beauty’.
- What childhood fear did Kamala Das refer to in her poem? How did she hide it?
- What is the significance of the parting words of the speaker and her smile in ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six?
- What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’?
- According to Pablo Neruda, what important lesson can the Earth teach us?
- Why do the people who are running the roadside stand ask for some city money?
- What increases continuously in ‘A Thing of Beauty’?
12. Answer any five of the following questions: 1×5=5
- How long did M. Hamel teach in his school?
- Where does Mukesh live?
- What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps?
- Whom did Gandhi and Shukla want to meet in Patna?
- Who is Derek?
- What does Sophie want to have when she grows up?
- Name the book from where the chapter ‘Memories of a Chota Sahib’ has been taken.
- Why did Gandhi visit Lucknow in 1916?
- What is the name of the blacksmith in ‘The Last Lesson’?
- What is the “great trouble with Alsace”?
13. Answer any five in 30-40 words: 2×5=10
- What lesson do you learn from the story ‘The Last Lesson’?
- What kind of person was Geoff?
- Why did Jansie feel sad hearing about Sophie’s dream?
- Why was Gandhi impressed with Shukla?
- Why was Professor Malkani’s action of offering shelter to Gandhi ‘extraordinary’?
- Who was John Rowntree?
- What character of the North bank of the Brahmaputra did John Rowntree refer to?
- Was sahib happy with his job at the tea stall?
- What would Franz love to do on that sunny morning instead of going to school?
14. Answer any one of the following questions in 80-100 words: 5×1=5
- Describe the bangle makers of Firozabad. How does the vicious circle of the Sahukars, the middlemen never allow them to come out of their poverty?
Or
- How different from usual was the atmosphere at school on the day of the last lesson?
15. Answer any one of the following questions in 125-150 words: 7×1=7
- What are the similarities in the lives of Bama and Zitkala-Sa though they belong to their respective situations?
Or
- Give an elaborate account of the celebration associated with Uruka, the important part of Magh Bihu.
16. Answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words: 2×4=8
- What did astrologers foretell when Tiger King was born?
- Who was Dr. Sadao? Where was his house?
- Who was Hana? What did she notice coming out of the mist?
- What is the significance of Bhelaghar?
- How did Annan explain the elder man’s action to Bama?
- Why and how did Derry enter Mr. Lamb’s garden?
- Why did Derry go back to Mr. Lamb in the end?
- Why was Zitkala-Sa terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be cut short?
