Madhyamik ABTA English Page- 545 ABTA PAGE 545

 Madhyamik ABTA English Page- 545

Madhyamik ABTA English Page- 545 ABTA PAGE 545

ENGLISH (Second Language)

READING COMPREHENSION (SEEN)

1. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

A. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

1×5=5

(a) A letter came for Father after (ii) a month.

(b) After reading the letter, their father’s eyes looked (i) tearful.

(c) Philippa was the name of the narrator’s (i)grandmother 

(d) Before leaving home, the narrator’s father fell out with his (ii) brother.

(e) The letter which the narrator’s father just received was from (i) Aunt Esther.

B. Complete the following chart with information from the text:

1×3=3

Effect: She turned pale.

Cause: She recognized the patched letter on the kite as the one she had written to her brother.

Cause: Narrator's father received the letter.

Effect: He reunited with his long-lost sister, Aunt Esther.

Effect: Father turned pale.

Cause: The letter brought back emotional memories of his estranged family.

C. Answer the following questions:

(i) What was the condition of the narrator’s father after reading the letter?

Ans. The narrator’s father looked tearful and emotional after reading the letter, as it reminded him of his estranged sister and past regrets.

(ii) How did Dick and Mimi get the kite?

Ans. Dick and Mimi found the kite on top of a tree while exploring the woods. They carried it home, where their mother recognized it as one patched with her letter.

2. Read the stanzas thoroughly and answer the questions that follow:

A. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

1×4=4

(a) The call that cannot be denied is (iii) running tide.

(b) The epithet used by the poet to describe the sea is (iv) lonely.

(c) The poet wants a (ii) windy day.

(d) The poet would like to hear the cry of the (iv) seagull.

B. State whether the following statements are 'True' or 'False':

2×2=4

(i) The poet was going to the sea for the first time.

False. Supporting statement: "I must go down to the seas again" indicates a repeated action.

(ii) To steer the ship, the poet needs the moon.

False. Supporting statement: "And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by."

READING COMPREHENSION (UNSEEN)

3. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

A. Tick the right answer:

1×6=6

(i) The passage focuses spotlight on (c) the lives in the jungle of Sundarbans.

(ii) On West Bengal Widow Pension Scheme, the Bengal Government spends around (c) ₹230 crore.

(iii) Rina Sarkar is aged between (b) 45–50 years.

(iv) Rina claimed, “My husband was attacked by” (b) a tiger.

(v) The profession of Sarkar’s family was (a) fishing.

(vi) The type of passage is (a) a report.

B. State whether the following statements are 'True' or 'False':

1+1×3=6

(i) After the sad demise of her husband, government officials helped Rina socially and economically.

False. Supporting statement: "No one helped me."

(ii) Rina accompanied her husband Sripada to catch fish inside the mangrove.

True. Supporting statement: "She accompanied her husband to a creek near their village."

(iii) Rina Sarkar has no offspring.

False. Supporting statement: "Rina, now 46, is the mother of three children."

C. Answer the following questions:

2×4=8

(i) Who was Rina Sarkar?

Ans. Rina Sarkar was a resident of the Sundarbans and a mother of three. She lost her husband to a tiger attack and struggled to get recognition as a widow.

(ii) How did Rina lose her husband?

Ans. Rina’s husband was attacked by a tiger while fishing. Despite her attempts to fend off the tiger with an oar, the tiger dragged him into the mangroves.

(iii) What did the Bengal government do for the widow pension scheme?

Ans. The Bengal government allocated ₹230 crore for the widow pension scheme, providing ₹1,000 per month to eligible women.

(iv) Why did Rina not get any monetary help from government officials?

Ans. Rina did not receive monetary help because she lacked a death certificate for her husband, and officials claimed fishing in creeks was illegal.

[Section B and Section C answers available upon request.]

SECTION B: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

4. Write the correct alternative to fill up the blanks:

1×3=3

A bright student studying mathematics honours at DPS College in New Delhi committed suicide on Oct 12 at his home. He has left a suicide note written in English where he has blamed none but poverty as the reason for his suicide.

5. Do as directed:

A. Fill in the blanks with appropriate article or preposition:

1×3=3

In an the

The disappearance of Subhas Chandra Bose in August 1945 remains still an unsolved mystery. There is perhaps no evidence of the unfortunate plane crash or of Netaji being in the plane at all.

B. (i) Change the voice:

The Nation will always remember the sacrifice of the Freedom Fighters.

Ans. The sacrifice of the Freedom Fighters will always be remembered by the Nation.

(ii) Rewrite using the positive degree:

A wise enemy is better than a foolish friend.

Ans. A foolish friend is not as good as a wise enemy.

(iii) Turn into indirect speech:

The beggar said to the guard, “Let me stay here for the night.”

Ans. The beggar suggested to the guard that he should stay there for the night.

C. Choose the correct phrasal verbs:

1×3=3

(i) Read the instructions carefully and follow the rules.

go through .

(ii) The patient will come round soon.

(iii) Dengue has broken out in our locality.

6. Find the words from the passage in Question No. 3:

2×4=8

(i) An inlet in a stream or shoreline: Creek

(ii) Thick: Dense

(iii) A pole: Oar

(iv) A tropical plant growing with a flat blade used to row a boat in swamps: Mangrove