Teachers recommend solving Kerala Syllabus Plus One English Previous Year Question Papers and Answers Pdf Board Model Paper 2021 to improve time management during exams.
Kerala Plus One English Board Model Paper 2021 with Answers
Time: 2½ Hours
Total Score: 80 Marks
(Questions 1 – 8: Answer any 4 questions. Each carries 1 score.) (4 × 1 = 4)
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
The garlands wither on your brow;
Then boost no more your mighty deeds ;
Upon Death’s purple altar now
See how the victor-victim bleeds.
Question 1.
Write the name of the poem from which these lines are taken.
Answer:
Death the Leveller
Question 2.
Name the poet.
Answer:
James Shirley
Question 3.
What does ‘Death’s purple altar’ refer to ?
Answer:
Death’s purple altar refers to the inevitable death. It also refers to the battle grounds where blood flows and the grounds are made purple with the colour of blood. Thus it also means bloodshed.
Question 4.
Identify one figure of speech used in these lines.
Answer:
Metaphor – The garlands wither on your brow.
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
It is not surprising that this astonishingly vital man, full of self confidence and an unusual kind of power, standing for equality and freedom for each individual fascinated the masses of India and attracted them like a magnet.
Question 5.
Who is the ‘man’ mentioned in this passage ?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi
Question 6.
What kind of unusual power does he have ?
Answer:
He was full of vitality and self confidence. He had an unusual power and he stood for equality and freedom for each individual.
Question 7.
Pick out a word from the above lines which means ‘full of energy’.
Answer:
vital
Question 8.
From which lesson is this passage taken ? Who is the author?
Answer:
The lesson is “And Then Gandhi Came”. The author is Jawaharlal Nehru.
(Questions 9 – 12 : Answer any 2 in about 30 words. Each carries 2 scores.) (2 × 2 = 4)
Question 9.
Imagine the words that the mother of the young sea gull could use to motivate him to fly. Write 2 sentences for the mother.
You may begin in this way :
You should really ………..
You ought to ………..
Answer:
You should really come out of the safety of the nest and learn to fly out. You ought to practise flying and then only you will be able to get your food.
Question 10.
Choose the correct alternative from the brackets and fill in the blanks :
(a) Eight miles _________ not a short distance (is, are)
(b) Cycling is a good exercise. __________ it helps you save money. (However, Moreover)
Answer:
a) Is (Note: “Eight miles” denotes a unit and so is correct.)
b) Moreover
Question 11.
APJ Abdul Kalam enjoyed interacting with students. If you had a chance to ask questions to Dr. Kalam what would you ask him ? Write 2 questions.
Answer:
a) Sir, what would you do to remove the poverty which many people experience in India?
b) Sir, what suggestion do you have to keep religion out of the Indian politics?
Question 12.
Change the following conversation into reported speech.
Greta : I thought you could make real peaches.
Dad : No, you have to go to the store for those.
Answer:
Greta asked her dad if he could make real peaches. Her dad replied saying that it was not possible and one had to go to the store to get them.
(Questions 13 – 20 : Answer any 4 questions in 60 words. Each carries 4 scores.) (4 × 4 = 16)
Question 13.
Write a character sketch of ‘Maggie’ in the story The Price of Flowers’.
Answer:
Maggie’s full name is Full name Alice Margaret Clifford. She is a young English girl. She is 13 or 14 years of age. When we see her first she is wearing poor clothes showing she is very poor. Her hair hung in a heavy stream down her back. She had large eyes with a sad expression. She works in a shop close the restaurant where she met the writer. She goes to the restaurant only on Saturdays because Saturday is pay day.
Maggie is a hardworking girl. She lives with her old mother in a small house. Her only brother Francis is in the army and he is in India. She loves her brother very much and he too loves her. She loves her mother. ’ She nurses her when she is sick. She is superstitious.
That is why she believes in the story told by her brother that by looking into the crystal ring one could see people who are far and what they are doing, if one thinks of them and looks into the ring carefully. She is very disciplined. She has polite manners and this is clearly shown in her behaviour. Maggie is ambitious and she is not happy with her work in the shop. She says it is a mechanical job. She wants to do a job where her brain can be used. When she gets a better job she will rent o a better house and take here mother there. It shows much she cares for her mother. When her mother is in a critical condition she even asks Mr. Gupta to tell her mother a lie about her brother so that the mother feels better by hearing that her son is alive and well in India.
Maggie is a very fine girl. She wants Mr. Gupta to go to the grave of her brother who is buried in India and gives one shilling to him. A shilling is a lot of money for a poor girl like her. To get that, she has to work hard for many days. Her action shows how much she loved her brother. Her sacrifice brings tears to the eyes of Mr. Gupta and we too are moved to tears when we see such selfless love of a teenage girl for her dead brother. I can easily say that Maggie is a model for girls of her age.
Question 14.
The details of Stephan Hawking’s life and achievements are given below. Read carefully and prepare a profile of the great scientist.
Born : 8th January, 1942
School Education : St. Alban’s School, Westfordshire
College Education : Oxford University, Cambridge University.
Career : Theoretical Physicist
Book : A Brief History of Time
Awards & Honours : Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009)
: BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2015)
: Pride of Britain Award 2016
Died : March 14, 2018 (aged 76)
Answer:
Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death. He was born on 8 January 1942. His school education was at St. Alban’s School, Westfordshire. He studied both in the Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Hawking was diagnosed with a slow- progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually paralysed him over the decades. But he continued to work hard till his death on 14 March 2018. His most famous book is “A Brief history of Time”. He was given many Awards and Honours. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. In 2015 he was given the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award. In 2016 he was conferred with the Pride of Britain Award. He has inspired thousands of differently-abled people around the world.
Question 15.
Comment on the bravery shown by the crew and the bond as the Titanic Sank.
Answer:
As the Titanic was sinking, Captain Smith, who was the Commander of the ship, stood on the bridge of the ship and told his crew that they were British and they should remember their country and do their duty. Not even for a moment he thought of saving his life. The British showed the world their courage never fails. They said that the women and children should go in the life boats. The life boats were lowered and the women and children were sent to safety. All the crew stood and watched. They had no desire of saving themselves. The Titanic sank from sight as the band played “Nearer my God to Thee”.
Question 16.
An online debate on the topic ‘Digital classes are superior to regular Education’ is being organized for your class.
Write 4 arguments either favouring or opposing this idea.
Answer:
a) Digital classes deprive children from meeting their friends and having interactions with them.
b) All students are not equally brilliant; some may need special attention; digital classes do not offer the facilities for that.
c) Digital classes are often boring as there is no direct contact between the teacher and the taught.
d) Sitting at one place glued to the screen for hours is not a healthy practice.
Question 17.
Imagine you are a lady reporter allowed to report the rituals of the women on the Island of Kadavu. Draft a live – TV report.
Answer:
I am reporting from the village of Namuana, on the island of Kadavu in Fiji. All the maidens of the village have assembled near the shore. They sing a strange chant. As they chant I can see giant turtles rising one by one on the surface listening to the music. The strange thing is that if any member of the nearby village of Nabukelevu is present, then the turtles will not rise to the surface or the bay and the turtle calling has to be abandoned. There is a reason for that. This ritual is known as “calling turtles from the sea”. This ritual is based on a legend. Many years ago, in the beautiful village of Namuana, on the Island of Kadavu, there lived a beautiful princess named Tinaicoboga. She was the wife of the chief of Namuana. She had a charming daughter named Raudalice. The two women often went fishing on the reefs around their home.
Once they went farther than usual. A group of fishermen from the nearby village of Nabukelevu came and caught the two women. They tied their hands and feet and threw them into their canoe. The women begged for their release. But the cruel fishermen did not pay any attention to their pleas.
But the sea gods were kind. They sent a storm and the canoe was tossed about by the waves. The men then saw the two women had turned into turtles. To save their lives, the men threw the turtles into the sea. Immediately the weather changed and there were no more waves. The two women who became „ turtles lived on in the water of the bay. It is their descendants who rise from water when they hear the chant of the women.
You may not believe the truth of the legend. But the Fijians believe it.
Question 18.
Maggie in the story ‘Price of flowers’ says to Mr. Gupta.
‘I want work that will make me use my head, brain work’
What kind of a job do you want ?
How will you achieve it ? Write a short paragraph.
Answer:
I want to be a Lecturer so that I can use my head, and do brain work. In the present circumstances to become a lecturer I should have at least a post graduate degree. It is not enough just to pass the postgraduate degree examination. I should have a minimum of Second Class. Having a B.Ed or M.Ed will add to my chances of becoming a Lecturer. To get all these qualifications I have to work very hard.’ This is a time of high competition and jobs are not easy to get. If one wants to be a Lecturer in a prestigious college, one ought to be extra brilliant. Apart from my academic qualifications I also should be well equipped with General Knowledge and ability to speak English very well as English is the medium of instruction at the tertiary level. By becoming a Lecturer I can guide the students not only to get their degrees but also to become good people with sympathy and empathy.
Question 19.
The passage given below contains a few errors. Edit the passage.
In the end, our society need to grow. Growing up means understanding that there is no perfect answers. We haven’t created a perfect society of earth and won’t has one in cyberspace either.
Answer:
In the end, our society needs to grow. Growing up means understanding that there are no perfect answers. We haven’t created a perfect society on earth and won’t have one in the cyberspace either.
Question 20.
Then, he completely forgot that he had not always, been able to fly and commenced to dive and soar, shrinking shrilly.”
The young sea gull goes through a wide range of emotions and feelings before and after his first flight. Write a paragraph on the various feelings that he experienced before and after his first flight.
Answer:
The young seagull was feeling very hungry. There was, no food around. He had searched everywhere. He then ran back and forth from one end of the ledge to the other end. He wanted to reach his parents without having to fly. But between him and his parents there was the deep wide crack – the vast sea. He saw his mother tearing the fish at her feet and the sight of food maddened him. He cried ‘ga- ga-ga’ begging his mother to bring him some food. She screamed back mockingly at him. Then he saw his mother flying towards him with a piece of fish. He was very happy. But she halted a little away from him. He waited for a moment for her to come near. He was mad with anger. Then he dived at the fish his mother was holding. With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space. He was terrified for a moment and his heart froze. Then he felt his wings spreading outwards. He was not falling now. He was flying. He was no longer afraid. He just felt a little dizzy. Then he flapped his wings and soared upwards. He started diving and soaring making loud noises of joy.
(Questions 21 – 28: Answer any 4 questions, each in about 70 to 80 words. Each carries 5 scores.) (4 × 5 = 20)
Question 21.
Gupta, on returning to India, narrates his experience of meeting Maggie and her family in London, to his friends. Write the narration for Mr. Gupta.
Answer:
When I was in London, in a restaurant I met a young girl named Alice Margaret Clifford, called Maggie. She is a poor girl and lives with her mother in a very small house in a crowded area. She works as a typist. She was happy to know that I was an Indian. I visited her and her mother in their house. Maggie’s brother Frank! who was in the British army died in India. She wanted me to place some flowers on the grave of her brother. She asked so many questions about India and Indians. She has heard that Indians have magic powers and there are snakes and tigers everywhere. She has also heard that there are dangerous fevers in India which kill many people. When I was about to return to India, she gave me a shilling to buy flowers to place at the grave of her brother. She had worked hard to earn that shilling. I took the money because if I refused to take it, I would be depriving her of the joy of sacrifice.
Question 22.
Deeds speak louder than words. Good deeds will be remembered forever. Justify this statement.
Answer:
Deeds do speak louder than words. Good deeds will be remembered forever. We can see this very clearly in the story “The Best Investment I ever Made” which we studied in our English Text for our SSLC.
Dr Cronin was on a voyage back from New York. On the second day, he noticed that one of the passengers was closely watching him. He ignored him as he wanted to take rest. On the following forenoon, the man with his wife was seen again earnestly watching him. This time Dr. Cronin also had some interest to know about the person and his intention. In the beginning Dr. Cronin could not recognize him. But when he said something in his ears, he recognized the man and his thoughts went back to an incident that happened 25 years ago. Once a police sergeant approached Dr. Cronin and requested him to attend a suicide case. Dr. Cronin examined the young man who tried to commit suicide and found his condition was very pathetic. After an hour’s hard work with the help of the sergeant and the landlady of the lodge, Dr. Cronin could bring him back to life.
The man told them his pathetic story. His name was John, and he was an orphan. His uncle found him a job in the town. Soon he began to lead a loose life, and gambled to find money for pleasures of life. He lost everything and stole some money from his office. Being afraid of the prosecution, in great despair and anguish, he resolved to end his life. Having heard John’s story, they decided to help him. Dr. Cronin gave him seven pounds and ten shilling to put back in the office safe. For John, it was like a second life. He determined to change in life and to make a fresh start. He later became a great social worker.
Question 23.
A.J. Cronin returns home after his voyage in Ranagangi. He later makes a courtesy call to Hassan. Write the telephone conversations.
Answer:
Cronin: Hello, is that Hasan, the serang of Ranaganji?
Hasan : Hello, Yes, this is Hasan, the serang of, Ranaganji. May I know who is speaking?
Cronin : I am Cronin, who was the physician on Ranaganji.
Hasan : Oh my God, Dr. Cronin! You were such a great physician. Without your help many more would have died of the smallpox.
Cronin : More than me, it was you who helped the sick. Without your active support, I could have done nothing to solve the problems there.
Hasan : Thank you, Sir, for the good words and remembering me. I just did my duty. Thank God, I got a chance to serve my brethren.
Cronin: You did much more than your duty. I was so happy to find you sponging the patients and giving them medicines, for disinfecting their clothes and preparing meals for them. I was greatly impressed when I found you reading a passage from the Ramayana sitting before the dead bodies. I knew that you were not a Hindu, but you had the magnanimity to read from the Ramayana for the sake of the Hindus that had died.
Hasan : I believe in humanity. To me God is Love. Where there is no love, there is no God. When I love others and serve them I am serving God. And I feel happy that I could be of service to people.
Cronin : It is a great thought, Hasan. May all the people think like you and then there will be no fights among people in the name of religion.
Question 24.
As we stood together, I saw that the Serang’s cheeks were wet with tears.
What trait of Hassan is highlighted in this line ? Attempt a character sketch of Hassan.
Answer:
Hasan is the serang of Ranaganji.Aserang is a petty officer in a merchant ship who helps with the various matters connected with the voyage, like loading and unloading of the luggage or any such thing. He also supervises the lascars, workmen in the ship. Hasan is a man of excellent qualities We are impressed with his compassion and selfless service.
We see him first when he brings two men to the doctor. The doctor finds out they have small pox. The ship has some 1500 passengers and if they come to know that there is an outbreak of small pox in the ship, there would be panic. So Hasan builds a shelter for them at the back of the ship where they will not be easily seen or contacted by others. He also agrees to take care of them. The great thing about his willingness is that small pox is a contagious disease and death is almost certain if it is not cured fast enough.
He Cooks for them and takes care of them. More people, fourteen of them, are diagnosed with the disease. But Hasan serves all of them as if they were his own brothers. Hasan is silent person. The doctor collects some information about him. He had neither friends nor family in India. He is a devout Muslim. All his life he acquired nothing substantial. He was not worried about getting any reward. Here we see him following what the Gita teaches. “Work is thy duty, reward is not thy concern.” In his readiness to lay down his life for his life, he is following the advice of Jesus who said that There is no greater sacrifice than laying one’s life for his friend.” Thus in him we see the best of all religions. Love seems to be his religion. We see his greatness when we see him sewing the shroud and reading a passage from the Ramayana before casting the dead body of one of the sick persons into the water.
When the ship reaches Colombo, the sick persons with running sores were carried in the arms of Hasan. It needs real compassion to do that, knowing fully , well that small pox is a killer disease and it easily spreads through contact. Hasan impresses me as a really great man. In my mind he is not just a serang but a sage.
Question 25.
To sleep’ by William Wordsworth describes the poet’s difficulty in falling asleep.
How does he describe his experience of a sleepless night ? Write a short essay.
Answer:
The poem To sleep’ by William Wordsworth, who is known as the high priest of Nature, is an exquisite poem that presents to us some of the finest sights, sounds and movements of Nature. We can see a flock of sheep leisurely passing by one after one; we can the sound of rain and the murmuring of bees. We can hear the fall of rivers, winds and seas. We can see the smooth fields, white sheets of water and pure sky. We also hear the melodies of small birds coming from the orchard trees. We hear the cuckoo’s melancholy cry.
The poet can’t sleep. Maybe he is worried about the bad things happened during the past. In fact he has not slept for a couple of days and this makes him all the more worried. If he does not sleep he won’t be able to enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of the morning. Sleep brings fresh thoughts and joyous health.
Question 26.
The UN has declared Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s birthday, October 15th, as World
Student’s day. Prepare a write-up to be published in the UNESCO journal on the topic
‘Dr. Kalam’s call to the youth to become a unique you’.
Answer:
October 15 is World Students’ Day. On this occasion we want to remember the advice Abdul Kalam gave the students.
Kalam tells students to be unique. He says that the world around you wants you to be like others. At home, you parents will tell you to be like the children of the neighbours. At school the teacher will tell you to be like the first 5 rankers of the class. All the people tell you to be somebody else. But Kalam teljs you to be ‘YOU’. You should not try to be somebody else. You should not be a copycat. He says “Be you and thus you can be unique”. I think this is a wonderful idea. This will release everybody from his inferiority complex. It is when you compare yourself with others you feel inferior. Kalam wants people to be confident, self-reliant and hardworking. He wants everyone to believe he was born with some potential, ideas and dreams. Everybody is born with wings and so nobody needs to crawl because he can fly. And as he has confidence he will fly. I really enjoyed this speech and it has given me a new insight.
Question 27.
At the end of the voyage of Ranagangi the captain of the ship calls a meeting to Honour
Hassan. As the chief guest Hassan talks about the difficulties that they had successfully overcome. Draft the script of the speech.
Answer:
I am very happy to see you assembled here to honour me for the services I rendered on the ship Ranaganji. In fact our last trip to Calcutta in Ranaganji was quite eventful. It had some 1500 passengers. The voyage to Calcutta began favourably in calm, clear weather and we passed Aden without any problem. Now we were in the Arabian Sea.
To our dismay and horror we found that two of the lascars, deck hands, had small pox. They were taken to the ship’s physician, Dr. Cronin. The Captain, Mr. Hamble, asked Dr. Cronin to keep the matter a secret as the news would spread panic among the passengers. As I was the Serang of Ranaganji, Dr Cronin told me about it. I told him not to worry. I made a shelter in the stern of the ship into which the infected patients were moved. I volunteered to nurse them without worrying about my safety. Later more workers were diagnosed with small pox. There were 14 of them altogether. I had a hard time taking care of them. I had to sponge the patients and give them medicines, disinfect their clothes and prepare meals for them. I did not complain. In fact I thanked God for giving me the chance to work for my sick brethren.
The big problem was when two men died. They were Hindus. I am a Muslim. But I sewed their shrouds and read loud a short passage from Ramayana. I then cast the bodies overboard at midnight. It was a difficult job to do, but I did it with all my heart. When the ship reached Colombo, I took the leadership and moved the patients to the hospital. I am really happy that I could do all these things for my brethren. I believe that all human beings are brothers and sisters and we ought to help one another in their needs.
I thank you for organizing this function. I will do my best and continue serving people.
May God bless us all!
Question 28.
Given below is a flow-chart for COVID – 19 testing based on symptoms. Prepare a report.
Answer:
Covid – 19.has been a problem with us since 30 January 2020, when the’first case of Covid – 19 was reported. We should be very careful not to fall prey to this dangerous disease. So do the following:
If you have any type of fever, throat pain or body pain, test for Covid – 19. Stay at home till you get your results even if you feel better.
If the test result is negative, stay home and take rest until all the symptoms are gone. There is no need for further quarantine.
If your test result is positive and if your are confirmed with Covid – 19, isolation is essential. Don’t have contact with people and be in quarantine. Take medicines as per the directions of a competent doctor. If the symptoms worsen, hospitalization would be needed.
(Questions 29 – 32 : Answer any 2 in about 100 words. Each carries 6 scores.) (2 × 6 = 12)
Question 29.
Suraj Venjaramoodu, the cine actor bagged the State award for the best actor in 2020 for his role in the movie‘Android Kunjappan’.
You get the chance to interview him. Prepare 6 questions for the interview.
Answer:
a) Suraj, we want to congratulate you on your winning the St|te Award for Best Actor in 2020. What would you like to tell us about your success?
b) As Bhaskara Poduval, you did a very good job in the film Android Kunjappan. How did you feel acting like an old man?
c) What prompted you to get into films?
d) Which comedian do you admire most?
e) You are so busy in so many things. Apart from being a busy actor, you are also an impressionist and a television and stage presenter. Do you think you spend enough time with your family members?
f) I understand that you have three children? Do you want them to become actors like you?
Question 30.
The Lockdown has confined us to our homes. But it is important to be physically fit and active. Write a magazine article on the topic, The Importance of Physical Exercise for Good health’.
Answer:
The lockdown imposed on us because of the spread of Covid – 19 has made us stay home most of the time. We don’t go to schools or colleges and we can’t take part in any sports and games. We can’t even go out and walk freely on the street without wearing masks. Most of us are confined to our homes. We must have enough physical exercise to keep ourselves physically and mentally fit.
There is a proverb which says health is wealth. If we are not healthy, we cannot lead a happy life. Unless we do regular exercises, all kinds of diseases will attack us. Exercise has a lot of benefits. It helps in maintaining our weight. When we exercise we burn the extra calories in our body. Exercises help us in developing our muscles. They help in improving the oxygen level and blood flow of the body.
When we exercise regularly our brain gets refreshed. To understand things properly and to retain what we learn we should have a fresh and receptive brain. Exercises prevent common diseases like diabetes, high blood cholesterol, and high or low blood’ pressure. There is a saying in English, “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost but when health-is lost something is lost and when character is lost everything is lost. We can have a good character only if we have good health. Unhealthy persons are prone to anger, depression and despair. They hate themselves and also others around them. So let’s make sure that we keep our body and mind healthy by regular exercises.
Question 31.
Your younger brother is at your aunts house. Write a letter to him giving him tips on growing up to – become a good man. You may refer to the ideas from the poem ‘If by Rudyard Kipling.
Answer:
XV/19, Azad Road
Irinjalakuda
12 November 2021
Dearest brother,
I am sure that you are spending your time quite happily at our aunt’s place. Do you regularly go to the river that flows near aunt’s house to catch fish?
I used to do that when I was there.
Well, I thought of writing this letter to you because I happened to read a poem “If”.
The poem ‘If is written by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling is an English short-story writer, poet and novelist. He is chiefly known for his stories and poems about the British soldiers in India. He also wrote stories for children.
In the poem a father tells his son how to be happy and how to be a perfect man. So many conditions have to be fulfilled if one is become perfect man. He should not lose his head, even when others around him have lost theirs. He has to trust himself when all people doubt him. He should wait and shouldn’t be tired of waiting. When people tell him lies, he should not follow their example. People may hate him but he should not hate them. He should not try to look too good and try to talk too wise.
He should dream, but should not make dreams his master. He should think but shouldn’t make thoughts his aim. He should view Success and Failure equally. Even when the results of his hard work are destroyed, he should get ready to build them. He should not tell others about his tosses. He should persevere, always being optimistic. He should keep talking with the crowds but maintain his virtue. He can walk with kings but shouldn’t lose the common touch. Neither his friends nor his enemies should be able to hurt him. All men should be able to count on his help. He should forgive people who have offended him. If he can do all these things the Earth and everything in it is his and he will then be a man.
I thought the poem is a very good one as it gives us tips on growing up to become good persons.
Say Hi to Aunt, Uncle and Rosy. Tell them I will be there for Christmas. Aunt’s mutton biriyani is superb. My mouth is already watering when I think of it. Daddy and Mummy send their wishes to you and all others there. Bye for now!
Yours affectionately,
George
Question 32.
“I feel ashamed to face Mrs. Clifford. So I wrote a letter to them, announcing my departure and bidding them good-bye.”
These are Gupta’s words, in the story The Price of Flowers’. Write an e-mail that
Gupta would have written to Mrs. Clifford.
Answer:
Clifford@hotmaii.com
I am writing this letter with a heavy heart. Let me first of all offer my heartfelt condolences at the sad demise of your darling son Frank. May his soul rest in peace.
When you were sick, Maggie told me that I should look into the crystal ring and tell you if Frank was doing well India. You believed that being a Hindu I could see your son in the crystal ring. I know I don’t have any such power to read crystals and predict the future of people. So when Maggie brought me the crystal ring, which you thought had magical powers, I looked into it but I could see nothing. The doctors had said that you were seriously sick mainly because of your worries about Frank who was fighting a war in India. If I told you I could not see him, it might further aggravate your situation. So I decided to tell you a lie just to help you recover from your illness. That is why I told you that I could see Frank in the ring and he was doing fine. I am sure God will forgive me for telling a lie because my intention was your welfare. Mrs, Clifford, please forgive me. As you know, births and deaths are not in our hands. The Lord Almighty decides things and we can’t help. Somehow we have to accept our fate and overcome our sorrow.
Say Hi to Maggie. I will be coming again to England next month and then I will be visiting you.
Bye for now!
Gupta
(Questions 33 – 38 : Answer any 3 in 120 words. Each carries 8 scores.) (3 × 8 = 24)
Question 33.
You visited a hill station during your Summer holidays. Write a travel essay to be published in your school magazine about the place you visited.
[Hints: Description of the place, Journey there and back, climate, historical importance, special attractions etc.]
Answer:
A Visit to the Hill Station Ooty
Ooty Is a popular Hill Station. It is located 86 km north of Coimbatore and 128 km south of Mysore. Ooty is the capital of Nilgiri district. The total aerial distance from Trichur to Ooty is only 111 kilometres but the driving distance is 223 km as the roads are often not straight. We travelled by a luxury coach which had facilities for music and films. The time for travel is around 5 hours. We left Thrissur at 2.00 a.m. and we reached Ooty by 7.00. We had our breakfast in an excellent restaurant.
After breakfast we went to the Government Rose Garden. It has one of the largest collections of roses in the country. It has more than 20,000 varieties of roses. We were thrilled to have seen so many varieties. After visiting the Rose Garden, we proceeded to the Ooty Botanical Gardens. It is lush green and it is carefully maintained. There was a Flower Show there. We saw rare species of plants and flowers. The Botanical Garden has nearly a thousand species of plants. Some of them are exotic. The various shrubs, ferns, trees and bonsai plants captivated our hearts and minds.
Our lunch was in a 5-star hotel where different types cuisine were available. We could choose Indian, Chinese or Continental Meals. I took Chinese Meal. It was yummy, so to say. After lunch we went to the Deer Sanctuary, located on the edge of the Ooty Lake. It has different species of deer and other animals. We then proceeded for a boating in the Pykara Lake. There we saw the Kamaraj Sagar Dam which is a picnic spot and also a film shoot location. We then went for our supper which was a light one. At 7.30 we boarded the coach and by 12.30 we were back in Trichur. It was a wonderful experience.
Question 34.
Almost all children have access to phones and internet in present times. But these sometimes do more harm than good. Write a letter to the Editor of a newspaper on the ‘Advantages and disadvantages .of Internet use by children’.
Answer:
Aisha Mehboob
XIV/24Azad Road
Irinjalakuda
154 November 2021
The Editor
The Indian Express
Kochi
Dear Sir,
USE OF MOBILE PHONES AND THE INTERNET BY CHILDREN
During the days when educational institutions were closed because of the outbreak of the Covid – 19 Pandemic, even LKG and UKG children were using Mobile Phones and the Internet as they could not go to schools. Nobody disputes the benefits of the mobile phone and the Internet for their educational and entertainment value. A life without these has become almost unimaginable. When the schools and colleges were closed children had no choice except to use mobile phones and the internet because of the digital classes. But constant use of these facilities has its own dangers.
Overuse of the mobiles phones and the internet makes children addicts to them. They become immersed in various games and other indecent material that are available on the internet. Curiosity makes them visit these sites and then there is the danger of their getting addicted to them. There are very dangerous games and we saw some students even committing suicide because of them. Parents are often not educated enough to know the misuses of the mobiles with internet connections. So when children are looking at the mobiles, the parents tend to think that they are learning some academic material. The kids may be playing some dangerous games or watching unsuitable things for their age. So parents have to be very cautious when they see the children spending too much time with their mobile phones and the internet.
Yours sincerely,
Aisha
Question 35.
The Sacred turtles of Kadavu’ describes the story of two women who had been attacked by outsiders. Do you think women in our society too face similar problems.
Draft the script of the speech you will deliver in your school assembly on women’s day, on the topic “Problem’s faced by women in our society”.
Answer:
Respected Principal and Teachers, and my dear friends,
Today I am going to talk on the topic “Problems Faced by Women in Our Society”. Almost every day, we hear some atrocities committed against women. Most of them are acts of revenge by desperate lover boys who even kill their girl friends if they refuse to marry them. Some boys throw acid on the faces of their girlfriends when they show their unwillingness to marry them. All this is very despicable. Such boys do not love the girls, they only have lustful desires for them. If you really love a girl, how can you think of killing her or throwing acid on her face? Love demands sacrifice and not hatred and revenge.
Another problem is dowry based killings. Recently we saw the Uthra Murder case. The man is given double life-imprisonment by the Court. But the fact remains that she is dead and her son is without the love of a mother. Uthra’s parents paid a lot of money, gold and even a car to the murderer. But he wanted more! Look at the way he killed her! By making a venomous snake bite her! This is terrible. Such an unheard of cruelty!
Then we have honour killings. If a girl marries a boy who belong to another cast or religion, her parents, siblings and relatives get angry and kill one of the newly-wed couple or even both of them. This is terrible. Love is a pure feeling and it does not worry about the person’s caste and creed. But fanatics don’t understand the meaning of love.
Dowry is a big problem in our society. All of us should fight against it. Marriage is not s sale. It is a covenant that makes a man and a woman live together for, their entire life, loving each other and caring for each other.
Let us take firm decision that we shall not give or take dowry when our time comes to get married. We should make our parents and siblings aware of the dangers of dowry.
Question 36.
Kerala has faced many disasters like floods, landslides, and epidemics in recent times.
How ever we have always overcome the crisis successfully.
Write an article to be published in the newspaper on the topic ‘Be prepared to face any disaster’.
Answer:
Be Prepared to Face Any Disaster
Kerala is called God’s Own Country. But looking at the things happening for the last 5 years, we feel like calling Kerala as the “Capital of Disasters”. In 2017 a very severe cyclonic storm named Okhi devastated many parts of Kerala affecting lakhs of people and destroying a lot of property. In 2018 we had severe floods in July and August. Official records say 483 people died, and 15 were missing. About a million people were evacuated. In 2019 also there were severe floods killing more than 120 people and destroying a lot of property because of landslides and heavy flooding.
2020 also was a bad year for us. During the heavy rainfall over the monsoon period from 1 June to mid- August 2020, all 14 districts in Kerala were badly affected with 104 dead and 40 injured. Five districts in Kerala were flooded on 7 August 2020. Then there was the Covid – 19 Pandemic killing more than 30,000 people and we are still facing risk from it. We were thinking that this year there would be no floods as in August and September we did not get too much rain. But then unexpectedly, in October, there was heavy rain causing landslides killing many people. The worst tragedy was the wiping away of an entire family of 6 people – an old lady, her son and his wife and their 3 children all of them school going girls.
Climate change has affected Kerala badly. But the people are brave and ready to face any danger. They work together as a family in times of trouble. We have been coping with all these disasters and we are still optimistic about a bright future for our “God’s Own Country”.
Question 37.
A seminar is to be conducted in your class on the topic.
The relevance of Gandhian values in the present time’.
You are one of the participants. Write the paper for the seminar.
Answer:
My dear friends,
The topic of the seminar for today is “The relevance of Gandhian values in the present time”. Gandhian values have become more relevant today as we sew people fighting in the name of religion, equality of sexes and distribution of the wealth of the country.
Gandhi once said, “The world has enough for all, but not enough to satisfy,the greed of one”. This is very true. Here we find Ambanis and Adanis, Tatas and Birlas, Dalmias and Jains, who are so rich that they own private jet planes. But in the same India we find people struggling for their meals. Many sleep on the pavements and don’t have decent clothes to wear. Gandhiji advocated simple life and if the rich listened to him, the poverty of India could be eradicated. He himself wore simple clothes and avoided luxuries of all kinds.
Gandhi preached tolerance., That is why he had to die at the hands of the fanatic Nathuram Godse. He said “Ishwar and Allah” are the same, but how many Indians would understand that kind of tolerance? Politics is now using religion to get into power. Let us not be fanatics. Let us think that all Indians are our brothers and sisters.
Gandhi was the apostle of love and peace. Let us all be faithful followers of his tenets.
Question 38.
Read the following poem and write an appreciation :
Success is counted sweetest
By those who never succeed
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.
Not one of all the purple host
Who took the flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of victory
As he defeated dying –
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear
– Emily Dickinson
Answer:
Emily Dickinson, the famous American poet, says that to those who never succeed, success is one of
the sweetest things. If you want to enjoy nectar, you should need it very badly. Only when you are very thirsty, you will enjoy a cool drink.
The people carrying the flag today can’t define the meaning of victory as clearly as those who died fighting for freedom. The victory songs the living ones play fall on the dead ears of the people clearly and agonizingly as they could not be part of the celebrations going on now. It is their sacrifice that brought victory.
It is sweet and fine lyric poem extolling the sacrifice of the people who died fighting for freedom. The freedom we enjoy today is the result of the thousands of people who fought for it. Many suffered and many were killed. It is a poem of three short quatrains. There is fine rhythm and the rhyming scheme is abcb. There are fine metaphors in the poem. The imagery is superb. We can see the victory march and hear the triumphant songs. The adjective purple brings the colour of blood, the blood of the freedom fighters. We can see the dead warriors in their graves. Although they were defeated and died in the battle, they can be happy that their progeny is enjoying freedom for which they fought and gave up their lives.