Vikram’s English Academy (ICSE)

ENGLISH Paper- 1
Set B
I. Give the meaning of the following words: (2)
a) dexterity: skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
b) melancholy- a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause, sad, pensive

II. Answer the following questions:

a) How did the narrator feel when he sat down to eat? What made him feel this way? (2)
Ans. The narrator thanked the waiter, but found it extremely difficult to handle the knife and fork
with dexterity. He felt so because the waiter was standing opposite to him, staring very hard.

b) What was the story that the waiter told David about Topsawyer? (2)
Ans. The waiter asked David about a gentleman named Topsawyer. The waiter said that
Topsawyer had come to the restaurant, and that he had ordered a glass of his apple juice which,
the waiter told him to not drink but Topsawyer still did, and fell dead.

c) How did the narrator feel when the waiter offered to drink the apple juice and once had
finished drinking it? (2)
Ans. The narrator felt obliged to the waiter when he offered to drink the apple juice. Once he had
the juice, the narrator had a horrible fear of seeing him meet the fate of Mr Topsawyer and fall
lifeless on the carpet.

d) What did the waiter do after he drank the apple juice? (2)
Ans. He claimed that he did not know that there were chops. He said that it took off the bad
effects of the juice. He took a chop in one hand, and a potato in the other and ate away with a
very good appetite. He afterwards took another chop and another potato and after that another
chop and another potato.

e) Do you think the narrator suspected that he was being tricked by the waiter? Give a reason for
your answer. (2)
Ans. Yes, he did suspect that he was being tricked by the waiter. He might have thought so
because the waiter certainly got most. He entreated the narrator more than once to come in and
win, but what with his table-spoon to my tea-spoon and his appetite to the narrator’s appetite, he
was left far behind.

III. In not more than 50 words, write about the tricks used by the waiter to fool the
narrator. (8)

Initially the waiter told the

narrator Topsawyer’s story about how
he fell lifeless after having
the juice. He later drank
the juice himself. He also
had the chops and the
potato saying that it took
away the bad effects of
the juice. He later had
the pudding too, getting most.

Question 5
 a) Fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets.
Do not copy the passage, but write in correct serial order the word or phrase
appropriate to the blank space. [4]
(0)- rising
The great advantage of early (0) _______ (rise) is the good start it (1) ________ (give) us in
our day’s work. The early riser (2) ________ (do) a large amount of hard work before other
men (3) ________ (get) out of bed. In the early morning, the mind (4) ________ (be) fresh,
and there are few sounds or other distractions so that work at that time is generally well (5)
________ (do). In many cases, the early riser also (6) ________ (find) time to (7) ________
(take) some exercise in the fresh morning air, and this exercise (8) ________ (supply) him
with a fund of energy that will last until evening.

1. gives
2. does
3. get
4. is
5. done
6. finds
7. take
8. supplies

b) Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word: [4]

i. She sailed through her exams.
ii. I look forward to reading it.
iii. The squirrel ran across/ along the boundary.
iv. Abstain from evil and do good.
v. I am now on good terms with her.
vi. I went to the party without any gift.
vii. I could notice the water receding among the pebbles.
viii. Time flies away quickly.

c) Join the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using and, but or so:
[4]
i. He was thinking of the death of his father. He felt sad.
Ans. While he was thinking of the death of his father, he felt sad.
He felt sad because he was thinking of the death of his father. (As, since, for,
therefore)

ii. She had finished knitting. She went into the computer room.
Ans. After she had finished knitting, she went into the computer room.
She had finished knitting, she went into the computer room.
Having finished knitting, she went into the computer room.

iii. He was defeated by the enemy. He decided not to give up.

Ans. Though/ Although/ Even though he was defeated by the enemy, he decided not to give
up.

iv. She got up early in the morning. It was her general routine.
Ans. It was her daily routine to get up early in the morning.
Her general routine was to get up early in the morning.

d) Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make
other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence.
[8]

i. Either a cat or a dog have been here. (Correct the sentence and Rewrite)
Ans. Either a cat or a dog has been here.
 ii. He was an expert in repairing auto mobiles. (Begin: His….)
Ans. His expertise was in repairing auto mobiles.

iii. He received my message and immediately came to see me. (Begin: As soon as…)
Ans. As soon as he received my message, he immediately came to see me.

iv. “Do you have any hotel in the city?” the tourist asked me. (Begin: The tourist
inquired…)
Ans. The tourist inquired if we had any hotel in the city.
The tourist inquired with me if we had any hotel in the city.

v. Kalidas was one of the greatest dramatists of the Gupta. (Use ‘great’)
Ans. Very few dramatists of the Gupta were as great as Kalidas.

vi. Although he’s a miser, he donated generously. (Begin: Despite…)

Ans. Despite being a miser, he donated generously.

vii. Rahul was so short-sighted that he could not get recruited into the Army. (Use ‘too’)
Ans. Rahul was too short-sighted to get recruited into the Army.

viii. Both the players are not adequately prepared for the tournament due to the lack of
funds. (Rewrite using a sub-ordinator)
Ans. Both the players are not adequately prepared because/as/since they lack funds.
Both the players are not adequately prepared because/as/since as they don’t have
funds.