CBSE Class 9 English Reading Notes

CBSE Class 9 English - Reading. Learning the important concepts is very important for every student to get better marks in examinations. The concepts should be clear which will help in faster learning. The attached concepts made as per NCERT and CBSE pattern will help the student to understand the chapter and score better marks in the examinations.

A. READING

A1.1 Read the poem and answer the questions that follow: 

THE LEADER

1. Patient and steady with all he must bear,

Ready to meet every challenge with care,

Easy in manner, yet solid as steel,

Strong in his faith, refreshingly real.

5. Isn't afraid to propose what is bold,

Doesn't conform to the usual mould,

Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won't do,

Never backs down when he sees what is true,

Tells it all straight, and means it all too.

10. Going forward and knowing he's right,

even when doubted for why he would fight,

Over and over he makes his case clear,

reaching to touch the ones who won't hear.

Growing in strength he won't be unnerved,

15. ever assuring he'll stand by his word.

Wanting the world to join his firm stand,

Bracing for war, but praying for peace,

Using his power so evil will cease,

So much a leader and worthy of trust,

20. Here stands a man who will do what he must.

Q1. The above poem refers to _________________________.

Q2. ‘Doesn’t conform to the usual mould’ suggests the person being described is ___________

Q3. The true qualities of a true leader are ____________ and ____________(any two)

Q4. The leader would fight war bravely but __________.

Q5. Using his power so evil will cease: Here cease means _______.

Q6. Find the antonyms of the following words from the passage

A. Insight [lines 5-7]

B. Conflict [lines 15-17]

Q7. Find the synonyms of the following words from the passage:

A. Accurate [lines 8-10]

A1.2. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:

Dharam Dev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian film actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema. Part of the Anand family, he co-founded Navketan Films in 1949 with his elder brother Chetan Anand.

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contribution to Indian cinema. His career spanned more than 65 years with acting in 114 Hindi films of which 104 have him play the main solo lead hero and he did 2 English films. Dev Anand’s autobiography “Romancing with life” appears to be a very honest portrayal of the man called Dev Anand. This article is composed on the basis of revelations recorded in his life story. Being a very shy boy Dev’s father put him up in a girl’s school in Gurdaspur. It is obvious that Dev had a very captivating face.

As a child Dev was fond of playing with marbles on the street outside his house. He was an excellent marksman from any distance. He was always sure of hitting every marble that he aimed for. Due to his marksmanship, he had won several marbles and stored those in a big jar, which was his proud possession. His father hated him for playing all day with marbles. Dev was afraid of his father. One day his father admonished him for playing with the marbles all the time. He said that this was not the way to attain stature in life. But he loved his mother very much.

While Dev was still in Gurdaspur, his mother developed Tuberculosis, a fatal disease during those days. The rare medicines necessary for her treatment were unavailable in Gurdaspur. Dev and friend Bhagoo used to go to Amritsar, more than thirty miles away from Gurdaspur, by bus to bring medicines for the treatment of his mother. Dev was fond of a special “Lassi” made from full fat milk, which used to have “Pedas” crushed into it.

One sultry summer day Dev was sweating outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar. A Sikh gentleman was selling “Almond Sherbat”. Dev put his hand forward to grab the tumbler of “Sherbat”. The Sikh “Sherbatwala” saw the unique blessings of sun on Dev’s forehead. He quickly said that some day you will be a big shot in life. Dev narrated this to his mother, who hugged him and told his father to give him the finest education and other facilities so that her son gets what he aspires for. His mother soon became too weak to walk even and was moved to a sanitarium, where she died.

Dev was enrolled in Government College Lahore for his graduation, which he did with honors in English. But soon he discovered that his father had fallen on bad days. Dev wanted to go to England for higher education, so that he could get an elite government job on return to India, but his father admitted that he could not afford this. His father gave him the option to do his master’s degree from Lahore Government College and then serve as a clerk in a bank, which Dev declined.

Q1. Give a suitable heading for the above passage.

Q2. The name of Dev Anand’s biography is _____________________.

Q3. In his childhood he loved playing ______ and he stored them in a ______because they were his proud possession.

Q4. He travelled to Amritsar with his friend Bhagoo, which was thirty miles away from his home tin order to ____________________.

Q5. The special lassi which Dev was particularly fond of was made of _________________.

Q6. Dev could not go to England to pursue his higher education because _______________.

Q7. The Sikh sherbatwala, outside the Golden temple, told Dev that he would_________.

Q8.From the passage, find the synonyms of the following word:

a] story of your life (para 2)

A1.3. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow

WELCOME BACK YUVI ....!

Indian all-rounder and World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh will don national colours for the first time since battling cancer when a two-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand starts on Saturday. The 30-year-old left-hander underwent chemotherapy in the United States in March and April to treat a rare germ-cell tumour between his lungs which was diagnosed late last year.

Yuvraj, who was ‘Man of the Tournament’ in India's World Cup triumph last year, has not played competitive cricket since two home Tests against the West Indies last November. But the selectors recalled him as soon as he was declared fit by doctors at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore where he had begun light training in July.

In less than 36 hours from now, Yuvraj Singh will complete an incredible journey- that of having recovered from cancer and walking back on the field as an Indian cricketer. How many runs he scores is a different matter, it is his return to the field that makes him a winner.

On Saturday, Yuvraj will play his first international match after being diagnosed with cancer. And this journey was not an easy one. This was one test that took a lot out of him. " There was a lot of tension. There were negative thoughts in my mind. I used to cry a lot," Yuvraj reminisces.

But all this while his teammates on the cricket pitch played the perfect mates off the field as well. “One day Anil Kumble came to meet me in Boston. He closed my laptop and said

'stop watching cricket and focus on your health'," Yuvraj said.

The left-hander did what he knows best - fought back! And soon the hero was back in India. It was a slow recovery- from stepping into the gym to stepping into the nets.

On Saturday, the journey will reach its most important phase. Yuvraj will be back in the India shirt, playing a T20 International against New Zealand. And he can't wait for the match to begin. He landed in Vizag yesterday and tweeted: "Just landed in lovely Vizag!! Beautiful scenic view before landing! Hope it doesn't rain tom and day after!! Cause I just can't wait anymore."

And he had wishes pouring from all corners. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan wished his friend good luck. He said, "I will repeat what Yuvraj said. It doesn't matter if he scores one run or 20 runs or 200 runs. I wish he again hits six sixes. Whatever, he said, he has won and he actually has won. I would watch the match just because Yuvraj will be playing it." Olympic silver-medalist MC Mary Kom also wished the southpaw, who won India U-19 World Cup in 2000, T20 World Cup in 2007 and ICC World Cup in 2011.

"I wish all the best in the future to Yuvraj," Mary said. With the nation behind him, I expect the all-rounder to perform as good in his second innings as the first if not better.

Q1. Yuvraj shed tears because

a............

b............

Q2. Who came to meet him in Boston and what did he advise Yuvraj?

Q3. Yuvraj will be playing a T20 International against.............. in ............... .

Q4. What did Yuvraj hope for as soon as he landed in Vizag?

Q5. Find the antonym of the word ‘loser’ from the passage.

Q6. Complete the following data:

Yuvraj won a) ..........

b).......... cancer

Mary Kom was [para 8] c)............

A1.4. NURTURING TALENT

Creative children usually possess strong creative needs; their interests are unexplainable and are naturally deeply hidden in them. These children are inquisitive ‘show interest in explaining things of fancy and test novel ideas that strike them. They do not accept ideas without questioning and verifying them. Creative children in most school in India feel neglected. Many children are unable to withstand pressure from parents and teachers, to be like other children in the school. Parents, in particular, want their children to fare well in studies, secure good marks and grades. In these days of competition they force them to get along with the schoolwork and prevent these children from using their creative abilities. We often hear from the parents of gifted children that they would be happy to see their children as higher achiever. Even the teachers in the schools admit that their aim is to reduce variations among the children in their classroom.

Creative children look to school and teachers for guidance and encouragement. Teachers should feel that creative children are of great values and they can become assets to the institutions. Creativity is the ability which is most valued in all societies. Constant encouragements given by the school helps these children in exhibiting their inborn abilities and skills. The creative child’s hidden talent can be identified from an early age itself. His choice of friends, hobbies, activities and dresses exhibits his/her inborn abilities. Creative and gifted children can master fundamental skills with minimum levels of training and they need help in understanding their strengths. These children believe that they are pursuing what they presume to be really worthwhile. If there is a teacher who can play the positive role of a facilitator, to kindle their creativity at an early age, wonderful results can be achieved. The school environment provides positive stimulus in exciting the creativity among these children.

The school counsellor (if any) may also help the parents to orient their attitude towards these children. No doubt the curious questioning of these children is very inconvenient to the parent. Now a days many parents do intentionally prevent these children to learn on their own. One of the dominant personality traits among the creative children is independence. Independence in doing what they believe. These children possess the

skills of improvisation and are always opened to new experiences. These children ar e not able to make something out of nothing. The act of creation involves a reshaping of a given material, either physically or mentally. A non-authoritarian, preferably pervasive, stimulating school environment is a positive input in nurturing creativity. Teachers must set challenging tasks and encourage pupils towards working for unusual solution. Guiding children systematically to test new ideas is also very essential. Teachers should encourage the acquisition of new knowledge from diversified areas to develop constructive criticism. If the creative child is to maintain his/her creativity and continue to grow, he/she would need help from his parents and teachers for understanding and accepting his unique talents.

EXERCISES

1. In the following exercise, fill in the blanks with appropriate words or phrase

(a) The qualities of creative children are: 

(i) Inquisitives

(ii) ………………..

(iii) They test novel ideas

(iv) ………………….

(b) In these days of competition, creative children are forced to persue their studies to the detriment of ……………… 

(c) Independence loving children possess the skills of …………………………….. 

(d) Development of constructive criticism should be encouraged by the teacher in the………........ 

(e) ……………………….. by parents and teachers will lead to creativity and growth of their child. 

2. From the passage find words which mean the following: 

(a) A useful or valuable thing. (para 2)

(b) Something that promotes activity, interest or enthusiasm. (para 2) (c) Produce or make something from whatever is available.(para 3)

A1.6. HOW MANY MORE?

All is quiet in this vast Himalayan jungle except for the occasional call of the hornbill. As the group of forest officials treads gingerly ahead in search of poachers, a stench begins to rise from the bowels of the jungle. The winding track dips into a leafy creek. No huma ns here, just the putrefying half-eaten body of a bull at Paterpani in the Core Zone of the Corbett National Park on 8th February. Fresh pug marks suggest that tigers have been approaching the dead bull, Bhanda, regularly. Above them circles a flock of hun gry vultures ready to feast on the remains after the tigers depart. A series of daring strikes in the past three months resulted in five elephants following prey to a powerful poaching mafia which has spread its tentacles in the supposedly well-guarded wildlife sanctuary. Trailing the poachers is a tough task as Brijendra Singh, the park’s honorary wildlife warden who has spents the past twenty years preserving it, will testify. Singh is the driving force behind the 150-odd forest guards who undertake daily missions into the heart of the jungles. He wants the poachers-probably numbering only five but ‘highly skilled at jungle craft-stopped an any cost.’ In a desperate bid to isolate the poachers, officials closed the parks for a day and even used helicopters to search for poachers, but to no avail. Now the CBI too has joined the hunt.

The urgency to pin down the hunters is mounting as the poaching mafia is increasing striking at will all across the country. Between July 1998 and October 1999, about a dozen tu skers were poached in the forest of Coochbehar in West Bengal. The modus operandi was the same as that Corbett. The poachers are interested in the ivory which fetches more than Rs 50,000/- per kg in the international market, the ban on ivory trade having been lifted. A tusker on an average yields 15 to 20 kg of ivory. In 2000 alone, an estimated 100 elephants fell to the avaricious poachers in the various sanctuaries signaling an escalation of a trend that had been subdued for much of the 1990s. For the pas t three years, elephant mortality is touching the soaring levels the notorious Veerappan had taken it to in the southern ranges in the 1980s.

With Veerappan on the run, his role has been usurped by dozens of group who usually operate independently and chalk out their own turf. But the Corbett killings have shown that there may be alrger group operating on a much wider scale. Singh has dubbed it the ‘Chisel Gang’ for their unique method of hunting. It is simple, but deadly. The poachers lie in eait for the pachyderms armed with muzzle loaders. When they spot a tusker, a 6cm long chisel-like iron dart soaked in lethal pesticides is fired from those proximity into the animal’s under belly.

EXERCISES

1. In the following exercise, fill in the blanks with suitable words or phrase 

(a) The animals circling the remains of the dead bull Bhanda are ………………………

(b) ‘Highly skilled at jungle craft’ means …………………………….

(c) The poachers hunt the elephants for ….. per kg in the international market.

(d) ……………. seems to have taken to elephant poaching in the 1980s.

(e) ‘Chalk out their out their own turf’ means ……………………………….

(f) The Chisel Gnag fires a 6cm long, chisel-like iron dart soaked in lethal pesticides………

(g) Brijendra Singh calls the gang …….. for their unique method of hunting.

2. From the passage find words which mean the following: 

(a) Greedy (para 2)

(b) Deadly (para 3)

A1.7. The Photograph -Ruskin Bond

I was ten years old. My Grandmother sat on the string bed under the mango tree. It was late summer and there were sunflowers in the garden and a warm wind in the trees. My grandmother was knitting a woollen scarf for the winter months. She was very old, dres sed in a plain white sari; her eyes were not very strong now, but her fingers moved quickly with the needles, and the needles kept clicking all afternoon. Grandmother had white hair, but there were very few wrinkles on her skin.

I was rummaging in a box of old books and family heirlooms that had just that day been brought out of the attic by my mother. Nothing in the box interested me very much except for a book with colourful pictures of birds and butterflies. I was going through the book, looking at the pictures, when I found a small photograph between the pages. It was a faded picture, a little yellow and foggy. It was the picture of a girl standing against a wall and behind the wall there was nothing but sky : but from the other side a pair of hands reached up, as though someone was going to climb the wall.

I ran out into the garden. ‘Granny’ I shouted. ‘Look at this picture! I found it in the box of ol d things. Whose picture is it?’

She took the photograph from my hand, and we both stared at it for a very long time.

‘Whose picture is it?’ I asked.

‘A little girl’s, of course,’ said Grandmother. ‘Can’t you tell?’ “Yes, but did you know the girl?”

‘Yes, I knew her,’ said Granny, ‘but she was a very naughty girl and I shouldn’t tell you about her. But I’ll tell you about the photograph. It was taken in your grandfather’s house about sixty years ago. And that’s the garden wall and over the wall and over the wall there was a road going to town.’

‘Who was the girl?’ I said. ‘You must tell me who she was.’

‘No, that wouldn’t do,’ said Grandmother. ‘I won’t tell you.’

I knew the girl in the photo was really Grandmother, but I pretended I didn’t know. I knew because grandmother still smiled in the same way, even though she didn’t have as many teeth .

‘Come on, Granny,’ I said, ‘tell me, tell me.’

But grandmother shook her head and carried on with the knitting. And I held the photograph in my hand looking from it to my grandmother and back again, trying to find points in common between the old lady and the little pig-tailed girl. A lemon-coloured butterfly settled on the end of Grandmother’s knitting needle and stayed there while the needles clicked away. I made a grab at the butterfly and it flew off in a dipping flight and settled on a sunflower.

Q1. The grandmother was busy..............

Q2.............were blooming in the garden.

Q3. The boy found ............in the box of old things.

Q4. The photograph was taken.......... ago at the boy’s........... .

Q5. Apparently, the girl was ............... in the photograph.

Q6. The boy recognized the young girl in the photograph by..............

Q7. Find words in the passage which mean the following:

a) Searching [para 2]

b) Falling [last para]

A1.8. TRUE GREATNESS

1. Paderewsky was a rich man gifted with an ear for mu With his aptitude and with the help of tutors, in time, he became a great musician. He was a wizard with the violin. People thronged to hear his recitals, critics acknowledged him as a master violinist. He accepted the laurels heaped on him because he knew and realized the power of his music. Alas, success had made him proud. He felt that he was the only musician who could translate any emotion or render any tune on his violin. One day, while out on a morning walk in the woods he sat on a stone to admire nature. He felt that nature was all set to teach him a new tune of divine joy. The wind caused a gentle rustle of leaves and it seemed like the opening bars of a symphony. A few twigs fell, striking a strong note. There was a pause – a hush. Then a tiny sparrow started trilling a sweet song of gratitude to its maker, lifting its heart to heaven. The music of the swaying flowers and the enchanting song of the unassuming singer lulled and soothed the musician. It st irred the innermost recesses of his heart. He knew that he must render the same piece of music on his violin. The song ended and the bird flew away.

2. The musician jumped up, elated. He rushed home excited. What a great tune nature had presented to hi He would render it on his violin for his performance that very evening. Evening came and the music hall was packed. Paderewsky went on stage and bowed to the audience. The accompanist played the opening bars. People waited with bated breath to catch the first notes of the great master. The artist smiled loftily and drew his bow lightly across the strings. But something unexpected had happened. He had forgotten the song of the bird completely. The tune he had heard only that morning had gone out his mind. Irritated, he tried again but only succeeded in making a few screeching noises. The audience grew restless. Some even laughed. Paderewsky felt humiliated and angered. He flung the violin, it smashed against the wall and broke. Paderewsky looked up dejected. The hall was empty. He had paid a heavy price for his vanity. Tears flowing he realized that even the humble sparrow was greater than him. The greatness of a person is not measured by the talents he or she has. It is not measured by the position one holds. It is never measured by the popularity or clout one has. It is measured by one’s humility and good deeds.

EXERCISES

1. In the following exercise, fill in the blanks with suitable words or phrase 

(a) The two examples of Paderewsky’s success as a musician were

(i) People thronged to hear his recitals

(ii) …………………..

(b) Paderewsky did not………..because he was conscious of the power of his music. 

(c) As a result of his pride he assumed that he was the best musician who could… 

(d) One day, while out on a morning walk he sat on a stone to admire nature which was all set to teach him a………… 

(e) The two things that lulled and soothed the musician were

(i) ………..

(ii) The enchanting song of the humble sparrow.

(f) The song of the bird influenced the musician so much that he felt…. 

(g) Something unexpected had happened. Paderewsky had forgotten……. 

(h) The greatness of a person is measured not by his talents or position or popularity, but…… 

A1.9. Rest in peace

1. Who climbed Mount Everest first? Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay set foot on the highest peak in the world in 1953, the year of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth But there is another school of thought, a more passionate one that gives the credit for the mountaineering feat to a team of two young daring Britons, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Irving. They were supposed to have reached the summit of the Everest on 8 th June 1924, more than three decades before Hillary and Norgay reached the base of the mountain. There is only one problem with this theory: neither Mallory nor Irving lived to tell the tale of their success on the treacherous mountain. They disappeared somewhere close to the summit, some say only 180 metres from the bald patch of snow and ice, an uninspiring feature closer to the heavens than any other point in the world, which has attracted numerous intrepid souls across the world for decades. Therein hangs one of the most enduring mysteries of the mountaineering world by all accounts. Mallory and Irving were the unlikeliest of men to become partners in an adventure like an Everest expedition. Mallory was an experienced mountaineer, having honed his skills in the Alps and other European mountains Irving was younger to him and inexperienced. When they met, Everest was talked about in hushed tones in pubs where mountaineers often gathered to wind down and exchange stories. It was in a distant world. Nothing much was known about it except that the locals called it Sagarmatha and worshipped it as the holy seat of the Mother Goddess. What intrigued the mountaineers most was the British Surveyor General, George Everest, calling it, in the 19th century, the highest mountain in the world. Until then, Europeans had never imagined there could be mountains higher than the Alps.

2. The legend of the Everest was born thu It fired the imagination of mountaineers of the world over. Mallory and Irving were just two of them who set forth for the distant mountain. The news of their success in opening the route across some of the most treacherous portions of the Everest route excited the mountaineering world to no end. It was the first time anyone had climbed to such heights. Even before dawn broke on 8 th June 1924, Mallory and Irving began their journey to the summit. They were last seen then. Many said they fell to God’s wrath having defiled the holy seat of the Mother Goddess. Some said it was Irving’s inexperience which caused the tragedy. There were talks of the Yeti killing them. And yet there were others who argued that the duo never went anywhere near the summit and that it was all part of an imperialist conspiracy. Two years ago, American guide Eric Simonson found Mallory’s frozen body some 180 metres from the summit and set at rest all such speculations. This year, he is planning another expedition to recover the remains of Irving. But he has run into stiff oppositions from Irving’s family which wants their hero to remain in the shadow of summit which, even in the day of space exploration, remains an enduring symbol of adventure and discovery.

EXERCISES

1. In the following exercise, fill in the blanks with suitable words or phrase

(a) Young and daring Britons, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Irving are credited ………….. more than three decades before Hillary and Norgay. 

(b) Mallory and Irving were the unlikeliest of men to become partners in adventures like an expedition to the Everest because …………… 

(c) The Everest was called ………………. of the Mother Goddess.

(d) General George Everest called it the ……………… in the world, higher than …………… 

(e) There are many curious about the disappearance of Mallory and Irving. Some of the these theories are: 

(i) ……………………………

(ii) …………………………

(iii) Some say the yeti killed them.

(iv) Some say it was a part of an imperialist conspiracy.

(f) American guide Eric Simonson found Mallory’s frozen body some ………….. 

2. From the passage find a word which means the same as: 

fearless/adventurous(para1)

SECTION-A READING

2A. Read the passage given below. 

When I was at college I used to spend my summer vacations in Dehra, at my grandmother’s place. I would leave the plains early in May and return in July. Deoli was a small station ab out thirty miles from Dehra: it marked the beginning of the heavy jungles of the Indian Terai.

The train would reach Deoli at about five in the morning, when the station would be dimly lit with electric bulbs and oil-lamps, and the jungle across the railway tracks would just be visible in the faint light of dawn. Deoli had only one platform, an office for the station master and some stray dogs; not much else, because the train stopped there for only ten minutes before rushing on into the forests.

Why it stopped at Deoli, I don’t know. Nothing ever happened there. Nobody got off the train and nobody got in. There were never any coolies in the platform. But the train would halt there a full ten minutes, and then a bell would sound, the guard would blow his wh istle, and presently Deoli would be left behind and forgotten.

I used to wonder what happened in Deoli, behind the station walls. I always felt sorry for that lonely little platform, and for the place that nobody wanted to visit. I decided that one day I would get off the train at Deoli, and spend the day there, just to please the town.

I was eighteen, visiting my grandmother, and the night train stopped at Deoli. A girl came down the platform, selling baskets.

It was a cold morning and the girl had a shawl thrown across her shoulder. Her feet were bare and her clothes were old but she was a young girl, walking gracefully and with dignity.

When she came to my window, she stopped. She saw that I was looking at her intently, but at first she pretended not to notice. She had a pale skin, set off by shiny black hair, and dark, troubled eyes. And then those eyes, searching and eloquent, met mine.

She stood by my window for sometime and neither of us said anything. But when she moved on, I found myself leaving my seat and going to the carriage door. She noticed me at the door, and stood waiting on the platform, looking the other way. I walked across to the tea stall. A kettle was boiling over a small fire, but the owner of the stall was busy serving tea somewhere on the train. The girl followed me behind the stall.

‘Do you want to buy a basket?’ she asked. ‘They are very strong, made of the finest cane…’

‘No,’ I said, ‘I don’t want a basket.’

We stood looking at each other for what seemed a very long time and then she said, ‘Are you sure you don’t want a basket?’

‘All right, give me one,’ I said, and I took the one on top and gave her a rupee, hardly daring to touch her fingers.

Q2A. Read the questions given below and choose the option that you think is the most appropriate. 

i) At this stage of his life the writer was

a) a young man b) an old man c) a child d) middle aged

ii) His summer vacation was special as he spent it at his

a) Hostel b) home c) grandmother’s place d) friend’s home

iii) The writer left his seat to

a) Close the window b) see the girl c) meet the guard d) get down

iv) The girl carried with her some

a) Flowers b) fruits c) baskets d) cane

v) The writer was attracted to the girl because of her

a) bare feet b) baskets c) grace and dignity d) dark troubled eyes

vi) The word “visible” means

a) seen b)found c)noticed d) wondered

vii) The Writer and the girl stood near a

a) Bookstall b)Water tap c)Tea stall d)Window

2B. Read the following passage and answer the questions – 

This is the story of Phineas Snodgrass, inventor. He built a time machine.He built a time machine and in it he went back some two thousand years to about the time of the birth of Christ. He made himself known to Emperor Augustus, his lady Livia and other powerful and rich Romans of the day and, quickly making friends, secured their cooperation in bringing about a rapid transformation of yearlong living habits. (He stole the idea from a science fiction novel by L.Sprague De Camp called ‘’ Lest Darkness Falls’’.)

His time machine wasn’t very big, but his heart was. So Snodgrass selected his cargo with the plan of providing the maximum immediate help for the world’s people. The principal features of ancient Rome were dirt and disease, pain and death. Snodgrass decided to make the Roman world healthy and to keep its people alive through twentieth century medicine. Everything else could take care of itself, once the human race was free of its terrible plagues and early deaths.

Snodgrass introduced penicillin and Aureomycin and painless dentistry. He ground lenses for spectacles and explained the surgical techniques for removing cataracts. He taught anesthesia and the germ theory of disease. And showed how to purify drinking water .He demanded, and got, covers for the open Roman sewers, and he pioneered the practice of the balanced diet.

Q2 B. Read the questions given below and choose the option which you think is the most appropriate: 

i)Phineas Snodgrass built a

a) Spaceship b) Aircraft c) Time machine d) Time selector

ii )He quickly made friends in order to

a) secure himself b)secure cooperation c)write a novel d)meet Emperor Augustus

iii) Snodgrass decided to make Romans

a) Educated b) Learn warfare c)Healthy and alive d) Dirty and diseased

iv) Plague means

a) an infectious and fatal disease b)Death c) Unhygienic conditions d )Painful death

v) Snodgrass was a

a) Painter b) Scientist c) Bone collector d) Builder

vi) The Principal features of Rome was

a) Health and hygiene b)Dirt and disease c) Coop eration d) Rapid transformation

vii) He wanted to use the medicine of

a) 76 B.C. b) 76 D c)20TH Century d) 16TH Century.

2C. Read the following passage and answer the questions 

If you meet a member of that select club, “the Twelve True Fishermen”, entering the Vermon hotel for the annual club dinner, you will observe, as he takes off his overcoat, that his evening coat is green and not black. If you ask him why, he would answer that he does it to avoid being mistaken for a waiter. You will then retire crushed. But you will leave behind you a mystery as yet unsolved and a tale worth telling.

If you were to meet a mild, hardworking little priest, named Father Brown, and were to ask him what he thought was the most singular luck of his life, he would probably reply that upon the whole his best stroke was at the Vernon Hotel, where he had averted a crime and, perhaps, saved a soul, merely by listening to a few footsteps in a passage.

The Vernon Hotel, at which The Twelve True Fishermen held their annual dinners, stood, as if by accident, in the corner of a square in Belgravia. It was a small hotel; and a very inconvenient one. But its very inconveniences were considered as walls protecting a particular class. One inconvenience, in particular, was held to be of vital importance: the fact that practically only twenty-four people could dine in the place at once. The only big dinner table was the celebrated terrace table, which stood open to the air on a sort of verandah overlooking one of the most exquisite old gardens in London. Thus it happened that even the twenty four seats at this table could only be enjoyed in warm weather; and this made the enjoyment more difficult yet more desired. The existing owner of the hotel was a Jew named Lever; and he combined with his limitation in the scope of his enterprise the most careful polish in his performance.

The wines and cooking were really as good as any in Europe. , and the demeanor of the attendants exactly mirrored the fixed mood of the English upper class. The proprietor knew all his waiters like the fingers on his hand; there were only fifteen of them, all told. It was much easier to become Member of Parliament than to become a waiter in that hotel. Each waiter was trained in terrible silence and smoothness, as if he were a gentleman’s servant. And, indeed, there was generally at least one waiter to every gentleman who dined.

2C. Read the questions given below and choose the option which you think is the most appropriate: 

i) The “Select club” stands for

a) The Vernon hotelb) The twelve true fishermen c) Terrace table d) English upper class

ii) Their evening coat is green in order to

a) avoid being mistaken for a waiter b) be environment friendly c) be identified easily as waiters d) avoid inclement weather

iii) The proprietor knew all the waiters as they

a) Were his relatives b)were few in number c)lived with him d) met him often

iv) ’Precisely” means

a) Exactly b) Suddenly c) Hopefully d) Vainly

v) The hotel was famous for its

a) Select club b )Warm weather c) Beauty d) Hospitality

vi) The term that the Writer uses for the waiters is

a) Member of Parliament b) Gentlemen c) Gentleman ‘s servant d) Select Club

vii. The name of the Hotel owner is

a) Lever b)Jew c)Belgravia d) Jim

2D. Read the following passage and answer the questions :– 

The Hindu Code Law was duly passed but it did not provide beleaguered women respite from the violence that gripped their lives. Even now, thanks to a disgraceful social practice, many women lead lives of anguish, often finding respite only in death. The name of this practice is dowry and many women, irrespective of whether they are poor or rich, are its hunted victims. The law prohibiting such practices had been passed much earlier in the Lok Sabha. But one must remember that the Congress could only get the law passed by applying the party whip on its own members. In other words, even within the Congress there were differences of opinion. In the opposition too the orthodox fought against the bill.

When the law was being hotly debated, we too arranged many meetings and gatherings among women and collected many signatures in its support. We found that many poor housewives in towns and villages and many peasant women did not speak up against the bill. This was primarily out of fear. If women couldn’t get married without paying a dowry, then what was the point of supporting this law? During our sessions we heard how much land peasant families and/ or lower and upper caste families had to give up and how many had become bankrupt in

trying to get their daughters married. Still they didn’t have the courage to state, “No, we shall not pay dowry anymore.”

But if the promised amount could still not be paid within the given period ,in certain cases

,the new bride fell victim to the violent attacks of her husband and parents in law. Such incidents did not take place only in poor families but also amongst the rich. The groom’s family often didn’t set limits to its cruelty ; the bride could be killed or driven to suicide . His family dreamt of a new marriage for the groom with new dowry. Such incidents are often published in newspapers today. Even the rich have joined the anti – dowry processions.

2D. Read the questions given below and choose the option that you think is the most appropriate – 

i) The Hindu code law was made to give respite to women from

a) Violence b)Disgrace c)Whipping d) Differences

ii) In the passage ‘disgraceful social practice’ refers to

a )Poverty b)Dowry c)Violence d) Untouchability

iii) Orthodox means

a) Extremely conservative b) Lawful c) Doubtful d) Opinionated

iv) The Law had already been passed by

a) Congress b) Lok Sabha c) Opposition d) Women

v) Anguish means

a) Pain and death b) Disgraceful c) Pain and suffering d) Fight

vi) The women did not speak against the bill due to

a )Shame b) fear c) Pride d) Ignorance

vii) ) The word Bankrupt means

a) Without any money b)cheating the bank c)lending money d) saving money

Passage 1 (Solved):

TV AND OBESITY

US nutrition experts have come to the conclusion that watching too much TV was one of the main reasons why children in USA were overweight.

Wilhelm Dietz, a nutrition scientist at the National Centre for the Prevention of chronic diseases in Atlanta, Georgia, said that tests carried out at several schools in Massachusetts and at a clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had shown clearly that children soon shed their excess pounds when they stopped spending so much time in front of the TV set.

The tests involved studying the eating and TV-watching habits of 1,295 schoolchildren in the sixth and seventh grades.

It was found that overweight children who reduced the time they spent watching TV by 20 hours per week, lost up to 20 per cent o their body weight in four months, and were able to maintain their new slimmer outline.

By comparison, another group of children who simply did more physical exercise during the same period lost only 13 per cent of their weight and after a degree of initial success, quickly put it back on again.

Presenting the results of the studies in New York, Wilhelm Dietz said that parents tended to underestimate the amount of time their children spent motionless in front of television sets, in many cases, they did not even know that their children were sitting chained to a TV p rogramme at kindergarten or a friend’s house, for example.

Pediatricians recommend that children should not watch TV for more than one to two hours per day.

“The more TV they watch, the more they tend to eat the things that are advertised on TV,” said

Dietz. Unfortunately, it usually meant high-fat snacks, potato crisps or chocolate.

“The more TV children watch, the more lethargic they are,” said Dietz. He recommends that parents implement a kind of bonus strategy to encourage their children to adopt bette r habits, such as allowing them half an hour of TV for every hour they spend playing outdoors.

And, said Dietz, on no account should they have a television set in their bedrooms.

Excess TV viewing by children results in

(a) Being overweight (b) Intelligence (c) Disease (d) success

2. Effective weight loss can be achieved by

(a) Eating less

(b) Sleeping more

(c) Physical exercise

(d) Cut in TV viewing time

3. According to paediatricians children should watch TV for

(a) More than two hours per day (b) More than three hours per day (c) Less than one hour per day

(d) Less than two hours per day

4. Overweight children lost 20 per cent of their body weight in four months when they reduced the time they spent watching TV

(a) by 5 hours per week (b) by 10 hours per week (c) by 15 hours per week (d) by 20 hours per week

5. The National Centre for the presentation of chronic Diseases in Atlanta studied the eating and TV-watching habits of

(a) School children in the fourth and fifth grades (b) School children in the sixth and seventh grades

(c) School children in the eighth and ninth grades (d) School children in the ninth and tenth grades

6. The more TV the children watch

(a) The more they learn (b) The less they sleep (c) The more they eat (d) The less they think

7. The word lethargic means

a ) Energetic (b) knowledgeable (c) lazy (e) smart

Passage 2 (Solved): 

RAIN ON THE ROOF

1. When the humid shadows hover

Over all the starry spheres And the melancholy darkness

Gently weeps in rainy tears,

What a bliss to press the pillow

Of a cottage-chamber bed

And lie listening to the patter

Of the soft rain overhead!

2. Every tinkle on the shingles

Has an echo in the heart;

And a thousand dreamy fancies

Into busy being start,

And a thousand recollections

Weave their air-threads into woof,

As I listen to the patter

Of the rain upon the roof.

3. Now in memory comes my mother,

As she used in years agone,

To regard the darling dreamers

Ere she left them till the dawn:

O! I feel her fond look on me

As I list to this refrain

Which is played upon the shingles

By the patter of the rain.

-Coates Kinney

1. The dark wet shadows of clouds make the darkness look

(a) Starry (b) lovely (c) sad (d) fearful

2. When it rains

(a) The poet wants to play

(b) The poet wants to sing

(c) The poet wants to listen to the patter

(d) The poet wants to sleep

3. Every sound of rain on the shingles

{a} Creates happiness in the heart

{b} Creates sadness in the heart

{c} Creates imagination in the heart

{d} Creates an echo in his heart

4. When the poet listens to the rain

(a) He remembers his children (b) He remembers his mother

(c) He remembers his dreams (d) He remembers his friends

5. The word ‘ere’ in the stanza 3 means

(a )Dear (b) foolish (c) loving (d) before

6. As the poet listens to the refrain, he feels

(a) Pleasure (b) the rain falling on him

(c) His mother’s presence (d) he is dreaming

7. The word ‘bliss’ in stanza 1 means

(a) blessing (b) sadness (c) great joy (d) happiness

Passage 3 (Unsolved – for practice): 

WATER: LIFE’S MAIN SOURCE

Read the following passage carefully and mark the option you consider most appropriate

Man does not live by food alone. Water is vital to human health and fitness. Although it is not a nutrient per se as are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. It, in fact, is a key nutrient in as much as no life is possible without it. Whereas we can do for weeks without food, we cannot live without water longer than a couple of days.

Water approximates 60 per cent of the body weight of human adults. The total amount of water in a man weighing 70 kilograms is approximately a little over 40 litres. It is an excellent solvent – more substances are soluble in water than in any other liquid known so far. This makes it an ideal constituent of the body fluids which sustain life supporting chemical reactions. It dissolves varied products of digestion and transports them to the rest of the body. Likewise, it dissolves diverse metabolic wastes and helps drain them out of the body. Besides, it performs a variety of functions-some well known and well understood while others not so well appreciated yet vital. The no less important role of water is to distribute/dissipate the body heat efficiently, thereby regulating the body’s temperature. Water accomplishes this role ideally because it has thermal conductivity ensuring rapid heat from one part to the other.

Above all, water has a high-specific heat, implying that it takes a lot of heat to raise the temperature of water and likewise much heat must be lost to lower its temperature. Drinking a lot of water is an inexpensive way to stay healthy. Even excess of water is harmless. Water therapy-drinking a litre or so the first thing in the morning is kidney-friendly. The water regulation in the body is affected by hypothalamus in two ways i.e.,(i) by creating the sensation of thirst which makes us drink water and (ii) by controlling the excretion of water and urine. If water regulation fails, medical emergency ensues.

1. Man cannot live for more than a couple of days

(a) Without food (b) without water (c) without oxygen (d) without fruits

2. Water is an excellent solvent because

(i) It regulates excretion of urine

(ii) It dissolves metabolic wastes

(iii) It drains wastes out of body

(iv) More substances are soluble in it than in any other liquid.

3. The high thermal conductivity of water helps to

(i) Dissolve food

(ii) Dissolve metabolic wastes

(iii) Regulate body temperature

(iv) Sustain life supporting chemical reactions

4. The total amount of water in a man weighing 70 kg is

(i) Approximately 70 litres (ii) Approximately 60 litres (iii) Approximately 40 litres (iv) Approximately 50 litres

5. High specific-heat of water means

(i) It has high thermal conductivity

(ii) It takes less heat to raise its temperature

(iii) It takes more heat to raise its temperature

(iv) It distributes the body heat efficiently

6. Drinking a litre of water in the morning is called

(i) Hypothalamus (ii) water regulation (iii) kidney therapy (iv) water therapy

7. The word ‘ ideal’ means

{i} lazy

{ii} most suitable

{iii} valuable

{iv} good

Passage 4 (Unsolved – for practice): 

THE DREADED DRUGS

“DRUGS” the most dreaded things of today, Which are gaining notoriety day by day Taking drugs is injurious,

Because Man’s life is very precious.

Learn to say ‘NO’ to drugs,

Because they are more dangerous than bed bugs. Life is precious to all,

So knowingly don’t cut it small. It is like a rat’s trap,

Don’t indulge in the mishap. Drugs are life-takers.

It is the greatest enemy of mankind, Which spoils the brain and mind. Don’t try to have its taste,

Otherwise your life will be waste So why depend on drugs alone? Which makes a family mourn.

Don’t allow drugs to make your life dull,

As it brings your great failure Don’t take it under peer pressure, As it spoils your future.

Prevent yourself from preventing the blunder,

Which will make you only wander.

Then why let drugs spoil your precious life,

When you can willingly throw away your cigarette pipe.

On the basis of your reading of the poem choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

1. Mark the wrong statement

a} The use of drugs is increasing day by day b} Taking drugs is beneficial

c} We must say ‘No’ to drugs d} Drugs are dangerous

2. According to the poet, drugs are more dangerous than

a} wild animals b} alcohol

c} bed bugs d} enemies

3. ‘Yes’ to drugs means

a} yes to life b} no to life

c} more to life d} right to life

4. A word in the poem similar in meaning to ‘ evil image ‘ is

a} injurious

b} dangerous

c} bed bugs

d} notoriety

5. Drugs make your life

a} bright

b} sad

c} dull

d} happy

6. According to the poet , the greatest enemy of mankind is

a} bed bugs b} alien

c} pollution d} drugs

7. One is tempted to take drugs because of

a } curiosity

b} money

c} parents

d} peer pressure

Passage 5 (Unsolved – for practice): 

Read the following passage carefully and mark the option you consider the most appropriate.

Language is verbal presentation. Phonetic code of delivery makes rapid growth of culture, race, origin with modern age of technology causing reliable national growth. A new database for spoken English is being created at the Oxford University Phonetics Laboratory.

Professor John Coleman and his team are one of four teams to win the ‘Digging into Data’ competition set up to encourage imaginative, forward-thinking research using large-scale computing in Humanities.

The resulting database will contain a year’s worth of spoken English and the project mining a year of speech will create the world’s largest searchable database of spoken English Sound recordings.

It will be a useful resource for anyone interested in spoken English not just phoneticians and linguists, but also many other kinds of people such as teachers of English language, social historians, and interested members of the public.

Professor Coleman said, “In a world where there’s more multimedia than text, audio searching is becoming a vital technology, even Google is moving into it now. We will provide the data so that it is searchable, but we can’t even begin to imagine the full range of questions about language that people will want to use it for.”

1. A database enabling people to search for English sound recordings is being created by

{i} Professor John Coleman

{ii} Oxford University Phonetics Laboratory

{iii} Google

{iv} Phoneticians

2. Digging into data aims at

{i] encouraging research

{ii} collecting data

{iii} making English easy

{iv} promoting English as an international language

3. The new database for spoken English will benefit

{i} students and teachers

{ii} the phoneticians

{iii} linguists

{iv} all of the above

4. Reliable national growth is the result of

{i} Spoken English

{ii} computers

{iii }the modern age of technology

{iv }the work done by historians

5. ‘Digging into Data’ competition has been won by

{i} one team

{ii} two teams

{iii} Professor Coleman

{iv} four teams

6. The study of sounds of a language is called

{i} Grammar

{ii} Literature

{iii} etymology

{iv} phonetics

ANSWERS TO COMPREHENSION PASSAGES

Passage 1: TV and Obesity

1. {a} overweight 2. {d} cut in TV viewing time 3. {d} less than two hours per day

4.{d} 20 hours per week 5. {b} school children in the sixth and seventh grade

6.{c} the more they eat 7.{c} lazy

Passage 2 : Poem - Rain on the Roof

1. {c} melancholy 2.{c} the poet wants to listen to the platter

3.{ d } creates an echo in his heart 4.{b} he remembers his mother

5.{d} before 6.{c} his mother’s look on him 7.{c} great joy

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