SONAM KUENPHEN HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL

CYCLIC TEST I
ENGLISH PAPER I & II
TOTAL MARKS: 50

QUESTION I: Argumentative Essay

Direction: Choose ONE argumentative topic from below and write ‘ONLY’ the introduction. Marks
will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of materials, use of appropriate features and
general accuracy of spellings, punctuation, and grammar. (5 Marks)
1. Are schools and teachers responsible for low test scores and bad grades?
2. Do the benefits of medical marijuana justify its legality?
3. Are tattoos acceptable at the workplace?

QUESTION II : Poetry
“Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

Direction: Answer the following Questions (5 Marks)

1. What is the central idea of the poem? 2 Marks
2. Paraphrase "...Under the bludgeonings of chance" in "Invictus." 1.5 Marks
3. How is resilience presented through the poem? 1.5 Marks

QUESTION III: Short Story

Direction: Answer the following Questions. (2*10 =20 Marks)
1. Do the characters seem plausible in ‘Bluffing’ by Gail Helgason? Why or why not?
2. List and explain any TWO examples of foreshadowing you can find in the story Bluffing.
3. What do Gabriella’s observations about the Merlin suggest about her view of the world in the story
‘Bluffing’ by Gail Helgason?

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 4. Based on the passage, why does the author include the scene where Mary talks to herself in the
mirror in the story ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ by Roald Dahl?
5. What was it that shocked Mary Maloney and how did she react to that shocking information?
6. In the story "Lamb To The Slaughter" by Roald Dahl, is Mary Maloney more of a hero or a
villain?
7. ‘Mary Maloney appears to be a very faithful and affectionate wife in the beginning of the story.’
Analyze/elaborate this statement with appropriate supporting argument.
8. Is Walter Mitty a responsible husband? Give two evidences from the story.
9. Why does Mitty daydream so much?
10. Do you feel sorry for Walter Mitty? Why or why not?

QUESTION IV: Drama

Direction: Answer the following Questions. (2*5=10 Marks)
1. “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not
die?” – Explain the lines in the context.
2. Why does Portia order music to be played while Bassanio makes the choice of caskets? To what
does Portia compare the music, should Bassanio choose correctly?
3. Why does Bassanio say that ornament is but the guiled shore to a most dangerous sea?
4. What does Antonio’s letter state about his last wish?
5. Explain how Gratiano’s fortune too ‘stood upon the casket’?

QUESTION V: Language & Grammar

V A: Complete the following sentences (5 Marks)
1. A simple sentence has only one……………………..
2. …………………conjunction is used in complex sentence.
3. If the extra word is an adverb, it is placed next to………………… in the passive.
4. …………….is the reporting conjunction used while reporting statements/declaratives/assertives.
5. Impersonal ‘you’ means…………………

VB: Change the following sentences (5 Marks)

1. He was advised repeatedly, still he misbehaved. (Change into simple sentence)

2. You don’t collect grapes from thistles. (Change to Passive)
3. The doctor said to the boy, “Did you take the syrup I had given you?” (Report the Implicit)
4. “Don’t waste your time in watching these serials,” my uncle told me. (Begin: My uncle advised…)
5. “If I live to be as old as Sibylla, I will die as chaste as Diana,” Portia said. (Report the statement)

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