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• Class X
• 2006
• English
• Compartment Delhi Set - I

ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE — 2006 (Set I Compartment Delhi)

SECTION - A
(READING) (20 marks)

1. Read the following poem carefully and answer the questions that follow: (8 marks)

AUTUMN’S BEAUTY

1. The rain falls gently
2. Quenching the thirst of a landscape
3. Parched by the rays of the hot summer sun
4. The song of the birds is now silenced
5. The petals of a once brilliant flower have faded.
6. A bright azure sky with soft white clouds is gone
7. Replaced by the gray dampness of the season
8. The caressing breeze of summer
9. Has turned into the blustering winds of fall.
10. Leaves once proudly perched on the limbs of trees,
11. Now dance gaily through the air,
12. Brightly coloured ia the warm tones of autumn.
13. Children laughing merrily on their way
14. As they hear the crackling sound of leaves beneath their feet.
15. A jack-o-lantern sits in the window,
16. Showing a wide, toothless grin or scowling frown.
17. The snapping of pitch from a burning log
18. The faint scent of pine filling the room
19. Flames leaping about as if it were a ballet
20. Performing for its audience
21. The soft, comforting glow of candlelight,
22. Bringing with it serenity and quiet thoughts.
23. I sit in amazement watching all that is around me.
24. Yes, there is a God.
25. Only He could have made the wonders I see before me
26. I will accept the solitude and indifference of winter.
27. So I may anticipate and appreciate
28. The re-birth of spring.

1.1 Read the following summary. Complete it by writing the missing words against the correct blank number in your answer sheet : (¹/₂x 8=4 marks)

Outside on an autumn day children (a) ………………. which were lying on the ground making a (b) ……….. Inside the room, the burning log in the fireplace was giving off the (c) ………………….. The flames looked like as if they were (d) ………………….. and the soft comforting candlelight made the poet (e) ……………... serene thoughts. The poet was (f) …………………… as he watched God’s creation. He looked forward to (g) ……………….. the spring season even though he knew he would have to accept the winter’s (h) ……….

1.2 Select eight characteristics of the autumn season and write them in your answer sheet. (¹/₂ x 8 = 4 marks)

2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (12 marks)

The Underwater Coral City

1. Coral reefs are warm, clear, shallow ocean habitats that are rich in life. The reef’s massive structure is formed from coral polyps, tiny animals that live in colonies. When coral polyps die, they leave behind a hard, stony, branching structure made of limestone.
2. There are two types of corals, hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals (like brain coral and elkhorn coral) have hard, limestone skeletons which form the basis of coral reefs. Soft corals (like sea fingers and sea whips) do not build reefs.
3. Coral reefs develop in shallow, warm water, usually near land, and mostly in the tropics; corals prefer temperatures between 70 and 85°F (21-30°C). There are coral reefs off the eastern coast of Africa, off the southern coast of India, in the Red Sea, and off the coasts of northeast and northwest Australia and on to Polynesia. There are also coral reefs off the coast of Florida, USA, to the Caribbean, and down to Brazil.
4. The Great Barrier Reef (off the coast of NE Australia) is the largest coral reef in the World. It is over 1,257 miles (2000 km) long.
5. Many coral reefs are dying. Major threats to coral reefs are water pollution (from sewage and agricultural runoff), dredging off the coast, careless collecting of coral specimens, and sedimentation, (when silt or sand from construction or mining projects muddies the waters of a reef and kills corals, which need light to live).
6. The under water coral city is a unique and diverse collection of colourful and weirdly patterned animals. This city is planned by tiny architects who have devised an inter-related web of large and complex structures, intricate waste disposal system, even its own water conditioning plant. Most of the problems of a city are present: food supply and distribution, that of accommodation and living space, leading to large scale squatting and a shift system, a large floating population, immigration and a balancing force of criminal predators.
7. The islands are low, merely a metre or two above the sea level, yet they withstand the powerful hurricanes and waves of the Arabian Sea. It is because they are encircled a protective reef, any destruction during an attack by pounding waves is quickly repair by its microscopic engineers and architects before the next wave comes—not merely repaired but something more, constructed, so the net effect is that of growth.
8. It is algae that makes the reef a farmland with many stony pastures. It provides food to many herbivorous fish that tear various blue, green, red and brown algae from the reef. So many such fish are there in the placid waters of the lagoon that their combined crunching sound can be heard by divers and swimmers. Not only do the herbivores survive by staying in the nooks and crannies at night, but also secure living quarters for them on the crowded reef

2.1 On the basis of your reading, answer the following questions: (8 marks)

1. What are coral reefs? (1)
2. What are the two types of corals? ( 1)
3. Where do coral reefs develop? (1)
4. Which is the largest coral reef in the world? ( 1)
5. Why are many coral reefs dying? (1)
6. Which modern day city problems do we find in the reef? (1)
7. How does the coral reef withstand the strong winds and waves? (1)
8. What makes the coral reef a farmland? (1)

2.2 Find words in the text which mean the same as the following from the paragraphs indicated. (4 marks)

1. Place where a particular type of plant or animal is found (para 1) (1)
2. Structure of bones that supports the body (para 2) (1)
3. Not deep (para 3). (1)
4. Planner and designers of buildings (para 7) (1)

SECTION - B
(WRITING) (30 marks)

3. Your school has received the following letter from the Director of Health:
The Principal
Grammar School
Lovedale
Dear Principal,

I am writing to highlight the fact that many young children are still suffering from polio because people do not realize the importance of the vaccine. Hence I request you to tell your school students to encourage people in your area to take their children who are 5 years and below for the Immunization Camp to be held in the Community Centre in your locality on Sunday, 2 September 2006 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Chief Minister will personally administer the polio drops between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. The student who encourages the maximum number of people will be awarded a certificate.

Yours faithfully
AK Walia

You are Vartica, Secretary of the NSS in your school. You decide to make out a notice. Using the information given in the above letter, write the notice in not more than 50 words.

4. You are Soni. You have received a telephone call from your mother’s friend, Deepa. She tells you to pass on the message to your mother and you write down the following points on a notepad. You too are to leave for a party, so you decide to write the message.

• Deepa auntie called
• Unable to visit — evening
• Her brother arriving Mumbai
• Shopping trip to be planned tomorrow
• Confirm on phone tonight

Write down the message in not more than 50 words. (5 marks)

5. You are Rekha/Rohit. You have seen the following news item in the newspaper.

Using your own ideas and those taken from the unit ‘Science’, write an article in about 200 words describing both the benefits and drawbacks of using these high-tech devices. (10 marks)

6. The pie chart given below shows the results of the health check-up conducted in the school.

• A 50% shows normal children
• B 05% shows those who are underweight
• C 10% shows those who have skin problems
• D 15% shows those who have dental problems
• E 10% shows those who have eyesight problems
• F 10% shows those who are obese

On the basis of this data, write a letter in not more than 150 words to the editor of a national daily asking the mothers to be careful about the health, food and exercise of their children. Suggest ideal diets to overcome problems and deficiency young children are facing today. (10 marks)

HINTS

• Daily bath with good soap
• Intake of balanced diet with fruits, vegetables and milk
• Studying in proper light and posture
• Less TV viewing
• Daily vigorous exercise in fresh air for at least one hour

For Blind Candidates Only

Children these days are not leading a healthy lifestyle Hence most of them end up with problems of skin, teeth, eyesight, weight etc Write a letter to the editor of a national daily in not more than 150 words advising the mothers on how to insist on correct food habits and exercise You may use the hints given above.

SECTION - C
(GRAMMAR) (20 marks)

7. Shobha is a reporter for The Hindu. She made some notes for a report on an accident. Complete the report by using phrases, each in its suitable form, from the box below. Do not add any new information. Write only the correct answer against the correct blank number in your answer sheet. (1 x 5 = 5 marks)

During the early hours of this morning (a) ………………….speed did not (b) …………… The truck (c) …..... ............... and (d) …………… who were (e) ………………….. .

8. The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction in your answer sheet against the correct blank number.
The first one has been done as an example. (1/2 x 8 = 4 marks)

                                                                                                                                Incorrect             Correct

The rhododendron is common the Himalayan                                                   at                    in

Ranges, particularly in a Shimla Hills. It is                                                    (a) ………       ……………

a large shrub or tree which attaining a height of                                          (b) ……….        ……………

about 40 ft. The leaves is 4-6 inches long,                                                   (c) ………        …………….
distinctly veined and whitish beneath.

Its flowers is in dense clusters and are of                                                   (d) …………      ……………

red colour. It flowers in the Himalayas since                                              (e) ………….       …………….

March to May, which hill-sides are a scarlet                                               (f) ………….         ……………

gleam. Flowers are acidic in taste while are used                                    (g) …………           .. ………….

for chutney making for the hill people.                                                          (h) ……………..      ……………..

9. Use the information in the headlines to complete the news items given below. Write the answers in your answer sheet against the- correct blank numbers. Do not copy the whole sentence. (1 x 4 = 4 marks)

1. SANIA MIRZA UP BY TWO PLACES
   Sania Mirza won her match and so
2. LIFE STANDS STILL DUE TO AVALANCHE
   All movement due to the avalanche
3. FAILURE OF MONSOON CAUSES DROUGHT
   Many areas have been declared as
4. ONE MORE GIR LION DEAD
   Another lion

10. Complete the dialogue given below in a suitable way. Write the answers against the correct blank numbers. Do not copy the whole sentences. (1 X 4 = 4 marks)

Amrita: Hello, could I speak to Vartica?
Vartica (a) ………………………………………….
Amrita: Vartica, I called to confirm your trip to Goa for 5 days for two people.
Vartica: (b) ………………………………. Do you think you can arrange it?
Amrita: I’m sorry. An extra two days at a short notice may be difficult.
             (c) …………………………………………….?
Vartica: I would have informed you but I was busy at my sister’s marriage.
Amrita: (d) ………………………………….. but I cannot promise.
Vartica: Thank you so much. I know you were very helpful last time also.

11. Look at the words and phrases given below. Rearrange them to form meaningful sentences. The following has been done as an example. Write the answers against the correct numbers. (1 x 3 = 3 marks)

Example: An / my / has written / teacher / novel / exciting
                  My teacher has written an exciting novel.

1. not / this time / the election / decided / he / to contest
2. wash away / barren land / of / top layers / the / wind and water
3. a lot of / we / advances / medicine / have seen / in

SECTION - D
(LITERATURE) (30 marks)

12. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Write each answer in your answer sheet in one or two lines only: (4 marks)

“Oh!” the nightingale confessed.
Greatly flattered and impressed
That a critic of such note
Had discussed her art and throat:
“I don’t think the song’s divine.
But—oh, well—at least it’s mine.”

1. Who was the critic? (1)
2. Why was the nightingale so impressed by him? (1)
3. What does the nightingale mean by saying “at least it’s mine”? (1)
4. What happens to the nightingale at the end? (1)

13. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Write each answer in your answer sheet in one or two lines only. (4 marks)

Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.

1. Who is ‘she’ in the above lines? (1)
2. Who are the liars? (1)
3. Why are they so called? (1)
4. What does the mirror reflect ‘faithfully’? (1)

14. What were the blessings which the mariners experienced when the Albatross arrived on the ship? Write your answer in 75-100 words. (5 marks)

15. What did Calpurnia see in her dream? What was her fear? How was the dream interpreted by Brutus? Write your answer in about 75 words. (5 marks)

16. Give a brief account of the circumstances under which the refugees were forced to leave their native land. Write your answer in 50-75 words. (4 marks)

17. You are the post master. You have just realized what the pain of being away from your loved ones is. You and Lakshmi Das have just placed Miriam’s letter on Au’s grave. Write a letter to Miriam telling her about her father’s love for her and how he died. Your answer should be in 150-1 75 words. (8 marks)