(Papers) : IIT Madras HSEE Papers-2019
(English and Comprehension Skill)

Read the following poem by e. e. cummings and answer the subsequent five questions.

(Note: e. e. cummings follows the conventions of using the lower case alone in all his poems.) (The questions carry 1 mark each.) 

maggie and milly and molly and may 1
went down to the beach (to play one day) 2 

and maggie discovered a shell that sang 3 
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles, and 4 

milly befriended a stranded star 5 
whose rays five languid fingers were; 6 

and molly was chased by a horrible thing 7 
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and 8

may came home with a smooth round stone 9 
as small as a world and as large as alone 10 

For whatever we lose (like a you or me) 11 
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea 12 

Q.1 What effect did the shell have on Maggie?
[A] It played sweet music to Maggie which prophesied the future.
[B] It created a new world for Maggie that was full of dissonance.
[C] It made Maggie think of her troubles again.
[D] It reassured Maggie and quietened her anxiety.

Q.2 What is Molly’s state of mind after “being chased by a horrible thing”?
[A] She enjoys encountering strange creatures.
[B] She loves playing in the beach sands.
[C] She is terrified of the creature’s movement on the sands.
[D] She is amused by the creature’s capacity to blow bubbles.

Q.3 What poetic device has  been used in line 2 (‘to play one day”) of the poem?
[A] assonance
[B] alliteration
[C] imagery
[D] onomatopoeia

Q.4 What is the theme of the poem?
[A] Individual identity and how it evolves
[B] A day at the beach and how enjoyable it was
[C] Friendship and how it can be a stressful experience
[D] Existential agony and how it can affect individuals

Q.5 What figure of speech is used in line 6 (‘whose rays five languid fingers were;’)?
[A] synecdoche
[B] hyperbole
[C] metonymy
[D] metaphor

Q.6 Fill in the blank with  the most appropriate option.
The fare provided for the dinner was so sumptuous that many of the  guests decided to __________.
[A] skip out
[B] fill up
[C] pig out
[D] feed up

Q.7 Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option.
The speaker’s __________ on an abstruse topic was rather sketchy leaving the students confused.
[A] adumbration
[B] disputation
[C] identification
[D] diatribe

Q.8 Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option.
One of the __________ members was reprimanded by the boss for his offensive behaviour in the meeting.
[A] primitive
[B] bumptious
[C] reticent
[D] sanguine

Q.9 Choose the most appropriate antonym for the capitalized word.
The old clock is now in good repair, thanks to the SEDULOUS efforts of the watch repairer.
[A] tireless
[B] thorough
[C] shoddy
[D] unceasing

Q.10 Choose the most appropriate antonym for the capitalized word.
The new proposal fell through owing to the PERFUNCTORY reception from the members of the committee.
[A] half-hearted
[B] luke warm
[C] meagre
[D] fervent

Q.11 Pick out the sentence that is grammatically correct.
[A] One is not able to understand Iago’s motive for his villainy.
[B] Iago’s motivation for ruining Othello’s marriage is unknown.
[C] Iago’s villainy is beyond the comprehension.
[D] One of the major reason for Iago’s villainy is jealousy.

Q.12 Pick out the sentence that is grammatically correct.
[A] The woman delivered a baby weight five kilograms.
[B] The woman was delivered of a male child.
[C] Neither the student nor the teacher were interested in the class.
[D] Advertisements help in the sale of products.

Q.13 Pick out the sentence that is grammatically correct.
[A] I am so hardly tired, I can keep my eyes open.
[B] I am so tired, I can keep hardly my eyes open.
[C] I am so tired, hardly I can keep my eyes open.
[D] I am so tired, I can hardly keep my eyes open.

Q.14 Pick out the sentence that is grammatically correct.
[A] John and myself are good friends.
[B] John and I are good friends.
[C] Each lady and each gentleman is eligible to dance on the stage.
[D] Each lady and each gentleman are eligible to dance on the stage.

Q.15 Pick out the sentence that is grammatically correct
[A] There is a misunderstanding among Raj and me.
[B] It is better not to have played at all than to have played and lost.
[C] I invite you to my daughter’s wedding with Peter.
[D] The employee was asked to put his sign opposite to his name.

Q.16 Fill in the blank with the most appropriate question tag.
Kumar has finished his assignment, __________
[A] has he?
[B] isn’t it?
[C] doesn’t he?
[D] hasn’t he?

Q.17 Use appropriate articles  where necessary to fill in the blank(s).
My wife is in __________ hospital and I misplaced my umbrella in __________hospital when I went to see her.
[A] the, the
[B] a, a
[C] __(no article), __(no article)
[D] __(no article), the

Q.18 Use appropriate articles where necessary to fill in the blank(s).
__________ gypsies have their own language and also __________ wonderful tradition of craftsmanship.
[A] __(no article), the
[B] The, a
[C] The, the
[D] __(no article), __(no article)

Q.19 Choose the most appropriate reported speech for the following.
“Is that the laundry?” an angry female voice said to John.
[A] An angry female voice asked John if that is the laundry.
[B] An angry female voice said John whether that is the laundry.
[C] An angry female voice asked to John if that was the laundry.
[D] An angry female voice asked John if that was the laundry.

Q.20 Choose the most  appropriate reported speech for the following.
“Speak louder, please”, Harry said to Stephany.
[A] Harry requested Stephany to speak louder.
[B] Stephany asked Harry please speak louder.
[C] Harry requested Stephany please speak louder.
[D] Harry ordered Stephany to speak louder.

Q.21 Fill in the blank  with the most appropriate option.
The weather is very pleasant today, I hope it keeps __________.
[A] in
[B] by
[C] up
[D] on

Q.22 Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option.
She decided to do __________ her house before it fell into disuse.
[A] over
[B] up
[C] in
[D] down

Q.23 Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option.
Dr. James Hook is an expert __________ tropical diseases.
[A] of
[B] at
[C] in
[D] for

Q.24 Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option.
He has not seen his sister __________ a long time.
[A] since
[B] for
[C] almost
[D] only

Q.25 Choose the most appropriate option that conveys the meaning of the capitalized words.
In the first year of college Ram and Vijay were close friends; by the third year they had GROWN APART.
[A] achieved something big
[B] ended the friendship
[C] grown old together
[D] created confusion

Q.26 Choose the most appropriate option that conveys the meaning of the capitalized words.
By the time this traffic jam clears, we will be PUSHING THE DAISIES.
[A] dead
[B] old
[C] missing dinner
[D] reprimanded

Q.27 Choose the most appropriate option that conveys the meaning of the capitalized words.
Leaders are trying to SQUARE THE CIRCLE when they claim that they can provide a kilo of rice for a rupee for everyone.
[A] solve an impossible problem
[B] make tall promises
[C] hoodwink people
[D] hard sell their policies

Q.28 The sequence of the four sentences (i.e. 1 then 2 then 3 then 4) given below is NOT correct.
(Sentence 1): Students should therefore observe these peculiar usages.
(Sentence 2): Some while speaking say, ‘it’s one of them days’; in writing they prefer, ‘it’s one of those days’.
(Sentence 3): To write like other literate people, they should learn to follow Standard English.
(Sentence 4): Though annoying, quirks of language are real andprobably problematic.
The correct sequence of the sentences is 
[A] 4 then 2 then 1 then 3
[B] 3 then 2 then 4 then 1
[C] 2 then 4 then 1 then 3
[D] 2 then 1 then 3 then 4

Read the following passage and answer the subsequent four questions. (The questions carry 2 marks each) 
“I just don’t think you have enough AIDS to get treatment.” “I think we’ll wait to begin your chemo until you have cancer.” “Your Ebola isn’t advanced enough for us to do anything about it. Go home, rest up and when it gets worse give us a call.” 

They all sound ridiculous, don’t they? If you’d never tell someone their illness is only symptomatic, why make those mental illnesses feel as though they aren’t sick enough for treatment? 

The idea that we must be more ill to seek help pervades the minds of so many of us with mental illnesses. I battled it myself for years before finally capitulating. People I respect have quietly admitted feeling guilty for taking their pills or seeing a therapist. The idea of not being sick enough to warrant treatment runs concurrent to feeling as though we  should be able to handle it ourselves.

Despite knowing on a cognitive level what mental illness is, the illness itself often poisons our mind and keeps us from seeking the help we need. People diagnosed with mental illnesses live significantly shorter lives than those without. Knowing that, we should be making it easier for people to seek treatment, not significantly more difficult. 

I don’t mean to imply that medical professionals slide us into the back burner, though I’m sure it happens. Minimizing our own mental maladies is a self-inflicted wound, a brutal act  we’vepractised to perfection. Because we’ve been conditioned to treat what we can see, our mental illnesses become low priority, below even the mundane like yearly dental exams or physicals.

We can’t see it so it doesn’t exist. There isn’t a definitive, easy test for mental illness. I can’t go the doctor and ask her to give me a test for my depression as if I had a virus or infection. We can’t do a body scan and identify the mass that is responsible for a person’s anxiety. Because these illnesses can’t be identified in the traditional sense, we often feel as though we’re making them up, that they are phantoms. 

Q.29 This question carries 2 marks. One option or more options is/are correct answer(s) to this question.
We should make it easier for people with mental illnesses to seek treatment because
[A] Mental illness is not a serious health problem.
[B] The illness itself prevents us from seeking medical help.
[C] The illness is felt only at the cognitive level, not at the physical level.
[D] Such patients are used to asking for help only when the symptoms of the illness are visible.

Q.30 This question carries 2 marks. One option or more options is/are correct answer(s) to this question. 
Mental illnesses are considered ‘phantoms’ because
[A] They can’t be identified by traditional means.
[B] Patients are made to feel that they are ‘making them up.’
[C] Definitive and easy diagnostic tests are not available.
[D] A person’s anxiety cannot be seen as a ‘physical mass.’

Q.31 This question carries 2  marks. One option or more options is/are correct answer(s) to this question.
The word ‘mundane’ means
[A] taxing
[B] dull
[C] unexciting
[D] risky

Q.32 This question carries 2 marks. One option or more options is/are correct answer(s) to this question.
The word ‘capitulating’ means
[A] ending
[B] give in
[C] evaluating
[D] surrendering

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Courtesy: CBSE