Paper : ICSE Class X Important Questions : English (1996)

General Instructins

1. Attempt all four question.

2. The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets.

3. You are advised to spend not more than 35 minutes in answering Question 1 and 20 minutes in answering Question 2.

Question 1
(Do not spend more than 35 minutes on this question.)
Write a composition (350-400) words) on any one of the following: [30]

(a) 'The impact of modern entertainment on society'. Provide a balanced write up of your views on the subject.

(b) You have recently represented your school at a National Inter-School Competition. Describe your excitement on being selected, the competition itself and the joy you felt at having brought honour to your school.

(c) "They can, who think they can." Relate an incident of your experience which brings out the truth of this statement.

(d) Use the following points to write an account of a play you have witnessed : Name of the play - Cast-performance of actors - Setting direction - Audience reaction. (You may include any other relevant details.)

(e) Study the picture given below. Write a story on an account or description of what the picture suggests to you. Your composition may be directly about the subject of the picture or may take suggestion from it, but there must be a clear connection between the picture and the composition.

Question 2
(Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this question.)
Select one of the following: [10]

(a) You have been embarrassed by an incident involving a group of your friends. Write a letter to your mother relating the incident. Express your feelings and state how you intend to overcome the impact of the incident.

(b) You are incharge of the Welfare Club of your school. Write a letter to the District Magistrate of your city requesting him to inaugurate a special project that the club was going to launch soon. Inform him of the details of the inauguration ceremony, the nature of the project and what you expect to achieve.

Question 3
Read the passage given below and then answer the questions (a), (b) and (c) that follow: [30]

The trail they followed was narrow, and men walked in a single file. The leader carried a spear and kerosene flare-a narrow bamboo-tube filled with kerosene and cloth soaked in kerosene stuffed at the opening. The man directly behind the leader was laden with a pair of fishing nets. The three just behind him carried huge wicker-baskets balanced on their heads. The last individual in the file carried a spear in one hand and a large canister in the other. The groups progress was swift. They trudged along with an unmistakable sense of purpose and soon reached their destination. This was a small 'beel', a shallow reed-fringed pool of water. The leader asked out a command and the men put down their equipment. He then looked round for possible danger. There was none.

The landscape darkened abruptly. The leader uttered a curse, he scanned the sky to gauge how long the cloud would hide the moon. It was a large patch, and there were other clouds approaching. The moon would remain hidden for a pretty long time. The leader cursed again, then shrugged his shoulders. The flare would have to be lit. Its light might attract the attention of the game wardens and forest guards. But there was no alternative.

As he set about doing so he hissed out another command to his companion, the one with the canister. The man quickly unscrewed the plastic cap and waded with the canister into the water. After a few steps he stopped, and poured the canister's contents into the 'beel'. The liquid gushed out with a gurgling sound. The strong, pungent smell of pesticide wafted into the air. His job done the man returned to the bank. Meanwhile the leader had lit the flare. While the other five squatted on the grass, he stood close to the 'beel', flare in hand, examining the water carefully. A patch of water brightly illuminated by the light of the flare.

Five minutes. Ten minutes. Time ticked slowly by. The men waited, their faces tense with anticipation. All eyes were fixed on the circular patch of water. Twenty-five minutes later it happened. The calm, still surface of the 'beel' was suddenly agitated by a series of ripples. Hundreds of tiny specks appeared on the surface.

"Get ready", the leader ordered. "Here they come", As if on cue, the moon overhead escaped from the clouds' clutches and all was brightness once more. The moonlight revealed a fearful, pathetic sight. The surface of the 'beel' was a mass of fish in their death throes. It was as if some unseen hand was strangling them alive-they were gasping for air.

It was a horrible sight, yet the six men startled with glee. Two of them jumped up and picked up a net each. They folded the nets neatly and furred into the water, preparing to cast. Suddenly the leader tensed, called for silence, cocked his ears and listened intently.

"Everyone on the alert!" he shouted. "I think I hear a jeep." In one bound he picked up the torch and threw it into the 'beel'. The faint drone that the leader's sharp ears had picked up gradually grew up volume. A jeep was roaring towards them.

"Forest guards", the leader hissed. "They must have seen the light from our flare. No time to waste. Collect the equipment and let's get going.”

The jeep with five armed guards stopped about two hundred metres from the spot. The sudden disappearance of the flare, which had caught their attention made them baffled. The driver kept the head lights on while the guards jumped down, their rifles on the ready. Careful to keep together t hey began to search the area systematically. Their powerful torches probed the nooks and crannies. They could have covered a wider area and far more quickly if they had separated and spread out. But, experienced men that they were, they knew it was unsafe to move singly. Poachers were ruthless. They thought nothing of putting a dagger in one's back.

A half-hour search having yielded nothing suspicious, the guards returned to the jeep. They climbed aboard and the jeep resumed its nightly patrol.

(a) Five words or phrases are given below. Give the meaning of each as used in the passage. One word answer or a short phrase will be accepted:

1. Scanned

2. alternative

3. wafted

4. pathetic

5. had picked up

(b) Answer the following questions in your own words:

1. What equipment did the men carry ?

2. What unexpected occurrence annoyed the leader?

3. Why was the leader reluctant to light a flare?

4. What method was used to kill the fish?

5. What was the very first sign of the first fish surfacing?

6. In the passage which line best illustrates the men's callousness towards the dying fish?

7. What caused the men to flee?

8. Quote the sentence which shows that poachers show no mercy to those who interfere in their work.

(c) In not more than 60 words describe how the men attempted to capture the fish and why they failed?

Question 4
(a) Rewrite the following sentences correctly according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence. [5]

1. I can't understand the reason for his absence.
   (Use 'absent' in place of 'absence')

2. He was the wisest man present.
   (Use 'wiser')

3. After John had finished his supper, his mother sent him to bed.
   (Begin : Having ...........)

4. She told me that her father was ill.
   (Use 'of' instead of 'that'.)

5. The package was too heavy to carry.
   (End with : carried)

6. Do not be deceived by his polite manner.
   (Use taken in, in place of deceived).

7. We did not need to hurry.
   (Begin : It .............)

8. Smoking is forbidden here.
   (Begin : You ...........)

9. Your essay needs correcting.
   (Use corrected instead of correcting.)

10. He insists on our apologising.
    (End with : ......... apologise.)

(b) each of the following sentences there is a blank space which can be filled in by a single word. Fill in each blank with the word which is appropriate. (Do not write the sentences): [5]

1. He was touched _______ pity when he heard the news.

2. You have no aptitude _______ business.

3. Need you bring _______ that topic again?

4. She insists _______ wearing that dress.

5. I met an old friend _______ the party.

(c) Rewrite each of the sentences given below by using the correct form of the word given in brackets: [5]

1. The sudden noise _______ him. (fright)

2. Life in a slum _______ his heart. (hard)

3. He suffered a _______ of fortune. (reverse)

4. It is _______ to study regularly. (advantage)

5. The boxer received a _______ blow o the face. (pain)