GRADE 10 – ENGLISH

Directions: Comprehension Check. Read carefully and answer the following questions. Write your answer on
a separate sheet of paper.

Ivan Dmitritch pictured to himself autumn with its rains, its cold evenings, and its St. Martin's summer. At that
season he would have to take longer walks about the garden and beside the river, so as to get thoroughly chilled,
and then drink a big glass of vodka and eat a salted mushroom or a soused cucumber, and then--drink another.
. . . The children would come running from the kitchen-garden, bringing a carrot and a radish smelling of fresh
earth. . . . And then, he would lie stretched full length on the sofa, and in leisurely fashion turn over the pages of
some illustrated magazine, or, covering his face with it and unbuttoning his waistcoat, give himself up to slumber.
The St. Martin's summer is followed by cloudy, gloomy weather. It rains day and night, the bare trees weep, the
wind is damp and cold. The dogs, the horses, the fowls--all are wet, depressed, downcast. There is nowhere to
walk; one can't go out for days together; one has to pace up and down the room, looking despondently at the
grey window. It is dreary!

Ivan Dmitritch stopped and looked at his wife.

"I should go abroad, you know, Masha," he said.

And he began thinking how nice it would be in late autumn to go abroad somewhere to the South of France ...
to Italy ... to India!

"I should certainly go abroad too," his wife said. "But look at the number of the ticket!"
"Wait, wait! ..."
He walked about the room and went on thinking. It occurred to him: what if his wife really did go abroad? It is
pleasant to travel alone, or in the society of light, careless women who live in the present, and not such as think
and talk all the journey about nothing but their children, sigh, and tremble with dismay over every farthing. Ivan
Dmitritch imagined his wife in the train with a multitude of parcels, baskets, and bags; she would be sighing over
something, complaining that the train made her head ache, that she had spent so much money.... At the stations
he would continually be having to run for boiling water, bread and butter. ...She wouldn't have dinner because of
its being too dear....

"She would begrudge me every farthing," he thought, with a glance at his wife. "The lottery ticket is hers, not
mine! Besides, what is the use of her going abroad? What does she want there? She would shut herself up in
the hotel, and not let me out of her sight.... I know!"
Excerpt from the story, The Lottery Ticket by Anton Chekov
1. Which of the following sayings reflect the main problem of the story?
A. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
B. Love for money is the root of evil.
C. No wife can endure a gambling husband; unless he is a steady winner.
D. Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.

2. What change in the trait of the two characters can be observed in the story?
A. ambitious – stingy B. considerate – quarrelsome C. contented – selfish D. loving - unkind

3. What does the lottery ticket symbolize based on the behavior of the two characters?
A. ambition B. dreams C. greed D. success

4. What is the overall feeling created in the story?

A. cold B. desperate C. embarrassed D. ominous

5. How is the woman perceived by the other character in the story?

A. burdened and boring B. old and ugly
C. sentimental and reserved D. introvert and weak

6. What is the main lesson that one can learn from the passage?
A. Desire for money can potentially ruin one’ relationship with other people.
B. People should not completely rely on game of chances.
C. Taking risk is not worth it after all.
D. Be mature enough to be responsible in one’s relationship.
 So, I'll be speaking to you using language ... because I can. This is one these magical abilities that we
humans have. We can transmit really complicated thoughts to one another. So what I'm doing right now is, I'm
making sounds with my mouth as I'm exhaling. I'm making tones and hisses and puffs, and those are creating
air vibrations in the air. Those air vibrations are traveling to you, they're hitting your eardrums, and then your
brain takes those vibrations from your eardrums and transforms them into thoughts. I hope.
I hope that's happening. So because of this ability, we humans are able to transmit our ideas across vast reaches
of space and time. We're able to transmit knowledge across minds. I can put a bizarre new idea in your mind
right now. I could say, "Imagine a jellyfish waltzing in a library while thinking about quantum mechanics."

Now of course, there isn't just one language in the world, there are about 7,000 languages spoken around
the world. And all the languages differ from one another in all kinds of ways. Some languages have different
sounds, they have different vocabularies, and they also have different structures -- very importantly, different
structures. That begs the question: Does the language we speak shape the way we think? Now, this is an ancien t
question. People have been speculating about this question forever. Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor, said,
"To have a second language is to have a second soul" -- strong statement that language crafts reality. But on
the other hand, Shakespeare has Juliet say, "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as
sweet." Well, that suggests that maybe language doesn't craft reality.

These arguments have gone back and forth for thousands of years. But until recently, there hasn't been
any data to help us decide either way. Recently, in my lab and other labs around the world, we've started doing
research, and now we have actual scientific data to weigh in on this question.

So let me tell you about some of my favorite examples. I'll start with an example from an Aboriginal
community in Australia that I had the chance to work with. These are the Kuuk Thaayorre people. They live in
Pormpuraaw at the very west edge of Cape York. What's cool about Kuuk Thaayorre is, in Kuuk Thaayorre, they
don't use words like "left" and "right," and instead, everything is in cardinal directions: north, south, east and
west. And when I say everything, I really mean everything. You would say something like, "Oh, there's an ant on
your southwest leg." Or, "Move your cup to the north-northeast a little bit." In fact, the way that you say "hello" in
Kuuk Thaayorre is you say, "Which way are you going?" And the answer should be, "North-northeast in the far
distance. How about you?"
[…]
There are also really big differences in how people think about time. So here I have pictures of my
grandfather at different ages. And if I ask an English speaker to organize time, they might lay it out this way, from
left to right. This has to do with writing direction. If you were a speaker of Hebrew or Arabic, you might do it going
in the opposite direction, from right to left.

But how would the Kuuk Thaayorre, this Aboriginal group I just told you about, do it? They don't use
words like "left" and "right." Let me give you hint. When we sat people facing south, they organized time from left
to right. When we sat them facing north, they organized time from right to left. When we sat them facing east,
time came towards the body. What's the pattern? East to west, right? So for them, time doesn't actually get
locked on the body at all, it gets locked on the landscape. So for me, if I'm facing this way, then time goes this
way, and if I'm facing this way, then time goes this way. I'm facing this way, time goes this way -- very egocentric
of me to have the direction of time chase me around every time I turn my body. For the Kuuk Thaayorre, time is
locked on the landscape. It's a dramatically different way of thinking about time.
[…]
I want to leave you with this final thought. I've told you about how speakers of different languages think
differently, but of course, that's not about how people elsewhere think. It's about how you think. It's how the
language that you speak shapes the way that you think. And that gives you the opportunity to ask, "W hy do I
think the way that I do?" "How could I think differently?" And also, "What thoughts do I wish to create?"
Excerpt from the TED Talk, How Language Shapes the Way We Think by Lera Boroditsky

7. Which of the following best describes the main idea of the article?
A. Language shapes our realities.
B. Language is a powerful tool to communicate ideas.
C. Language varies depending on geographical location.
D. There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world.
8. How did the speaker prove her argument?
A. She showed pictures of her grandfather at different ages.
B. She cited an estimated total number of languages spoken in the world.
C. She specifically identified the location of her sample group.
D. She explained her research about a particular Aboriginal community.

9. How did the speaker develop the main idea?

A. Narratives B. Cause and effect C. Problem-solution D. Enumeration and examples

10.What kind of arguments did the speaker use in presenting her ideas?
A. Expert opinion B. Research C. Testimonial D. Secondary information

11.Why did the speaker show the pictures of her grandfather?

A. To prove that blood related don’t necessarily speak the same language
B. To point out that her grandfather came from the same lineage of the aboriginal community
C. To show that concept of time differs depending on the age of the person
D. To further explain that people perceive time differently.

12.What might be the best reason in using rhetorical questions in concluding her speech?
A. To leave a lasting impression B. To refute her stand
C. To challenge audience to reflect on the topic D. To please the audience

The passengers who had left Rome by the night express had had to stop until dawn at the small station of
Fabriano in order to continue their journey by the small old-fashioned local joining the main line with Sulmona.

At dawn, in a stuffy and smoky second-class carriage in which five people had already spent the night, a bulky
woman in deep mourning was hosted in—almost like a shapeless bundle. Behind her—puffing and moaning,
followed her husband—a tiny man; thin and weakly, his face death-white, his eyes small and bright and looking
shy and uneasy.

Having at last taken a seat he politely thanked the passengers who had helped his wife and who had made room
for her; then he turned round to the woman trying to pull down the collar of her coat and politely inquired: "Are
you all right, dear?" The wife, instead of answering, pulled up her collar again to her eyes, so as to hide her face.
"Nasty world," muttered the husband with a sad smile

And he felt it his duty to explain to his traveling companions that the poor woman was to be pitied for the war
was taking away from her her only son, a boy of twenty to whom both had devoted their entire life, even breaking
up their home at Sulmona to follow him to Rome, where he had to go as a student, then allowing him to volunteer
for war with an assurance, however, that at least six months he would not be sent to the front and now, all of a
sudden, receiving a wire saying that he was due to leave in three days' time and asking them to go and see him
off.

The woman under the big coat was twisting and wriggling, at times growling like a wild animal, feeling certain
that all those explanations would not have aroused even a shadow of sympathy from those people who —most
likely—were in the same plight as herself. One of them, who had been listening with particular attention, said:

"You should thank God that your son is only leaving now for the front. Mine has been sent there the first day of
the war. He has already come back twice wounded and been sent back again to the front."

"What about me? I have two sons and three nephews at the front," said another passenger.

"Maybe, but in our case it is our only son," ventured the husband.

"What difference can it make? You may spoil your only son by excessive attentions, but you cannot love him
more than you would all your other children if you had any. Parental love is not like bread that can be broken to
pieces and split amongst the children in equal shares. A father gives all his love to each one of his children
without discrimination, whether it be one or ten, and if I am suffering now for my two sons, I am not suffering half
for each of them but double..."
"True...true..." sighed the embarrassed husband, "but suppose (of course we all hope it will never be your case)
a father has two sons at the front and he loses one of them, there is still one left to console him...while..."

"Yes," answered the other, getting cross, "a son left to console him but also a son left for whom he must survive,
while in the case of the father of an only son if the son dies the father can die too and put an end to his distress.
Which of the two positions is worse? Don't you see how my case would be worse than yours?"

"Nonsense," interrupted another traveler, a fat, red-faced man with bloodshot eyes of the palest gray.

He was panting. From his bulging eyes seemed to spurt inner violence of an uncontrolled vitality which his
weakened body could hardly contain. "Nonsense,Q "he repeated, trying to cover his mouth with his hand so as
to hide the two missing front teeth. "Nonsense. Do we give life to our own children for our own benefit?" The
other travelers stared at him in distress. The one who had had his son at the front since the first day of the war
sighed: "You are right. Our children do not belong to us, they belong to the country..."
Excerpt from the story, War by Luigi Pirandello

13.What is the story all about?

A. couples who argue about the future of their families in the midst of crisis
B. group of parents who have conflicting feelings regarding the condition of their sons in times of war
C. people who display strong opposition against government
D. rebellious sons who are against the decision of their parents

14.What historical event might have influenced the writer in developing the story?
A. Bubonic plague B. Cold war between Russia and US C. Economic depression D. World war

15.Which of the following lines favor the decision of the government?

A. Maybe, but in our case it is our only son," ventured the husband.
B. Nasty world," muttered the husband with a sad smile.
C. Nonsense. Do we give life to our own children for our own benefit?"
D. You should thank God that your son is only leaving now for the front

16.All of the following are realities depicted in the story except …

A. There is no a real winner in times of war.
B. Pain of parents who lost a child is incomparable.
C. Life becomes noble when one offers it for his country.
D. The highest honor that a child can give to his parents is by putting his life for others before his own
family.

In our time we have come to live with the moments of great crisis. Our lives have been marked with debate about
great issues -- issues of war and peace, issues of prosperity and depression. But rarely in any time does an
issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself. Rarely are we met with a challenge, not to our growth or
abundance, or our welfare or our security, but rather to the values, and the purposes, and the meaning of our
beloved nation.

The issue of equal rights for American Negroes is such an issue.

And should we defeat every enemy, and should we double our wealth and conquer the stars, and still be unequal
to this issue, then we will have failed as a people and as a nation. For with a country as with a person, "What is
a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an
American problem. And we are met here tonight as Americans -- not as Democrats or Republicans. We are met
here as Americans to solve that problem. This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with
a purpose. The great phrases of that purpose still sound in every American heart, North and South: "All men are
created equal," "government by consent of the governed," "give me liberty or give me death." Well, those are not
just clever words, or those are not just empty theories. In their name Americans have fought and died for two
centuries, and tonight around the world they stand there as guardians of our liberty, risking their lives.
Those words are a promise to every citizen that he shall share in the dignity of man. This dignity cannot be found
in a man's possessions; it cannot be found in his power, or in his position. It really rests on his right to be treated
as a man equal in opportunity to all others. It says that he shall share in freedom, he shall choose his leaders,
educate his children, provide for his family according to his ability and his merits as a human being. To apply
any other test -- to deny a man his hopes because of his color, or race, or his religion, or the place of his birth is
not only to do injustice, it is to deny America and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American freedom.

Our fathers believed that if this noble view of the rights of man was to flourish, it must be rooted in democracy.
The most basic right of all was the right to choose your own leaders. The history of this country, in large measure,
is the history of the expansion of that right to all of our people. Many of the issues of civil rights are very complex
and most difficult. But about this there can and should be no argument.

Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote. There is no reason which can excuse the denial of that
right. There is no duty which weighs more heavily on us than the duty we have to ensure that right.
Excerpt from the speech, We Shall Overcome, by Lyndon Baines Johnson

17.How did the speaker describe the situation of Negros in his speech?
A. They do not have permanent homes.
B. They do not receive government support.
C. They suffer injustice and inequality.
D. They experience discrimination.

18.How did the speaker make a valid support on his claim?

A. citing the success and tragic stories in the past
B. comparing US with other countries
C. describing the horrendous condition of Negros
D. making reference to the historical foundation of the state

19 .At the beginning of the speech, the speaker seems to be biased against …
A. Americans B. African American C. Negroes D. Native American

20.The speaker mentioned that, Americans have fought and died for two centuries, and tonight around
the world they stand there as guardians of our liberty, risking their lives. What can you infer about the
author’s bias based on the aforementioned lines?
A. asserts the democracy that Americans fought for
B. believes on what the Americans can do
C. dislikes America for creating social injustice
D. thinks that Americans are great

21. Which of the following lines directly support the change that the speaker wishes to happen?
A. … rarely in any time does an issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself …
B. … the rights of man was to flourish, it must be rooted in democracy…
C. …there is only an American problem …
D. … to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American freedom…
22. Which textual aid illustrate the location of the former Inca civilization?
A. Marginal notes on the Descendants of the Incas
B. The Mountain Institute, Western Virginia
C. The Inca Empire ranged 2500 miles from Ecuador to Chile
D. 11.c The Inca Empire: The Children of the Sun

23. Which text feature support the existence of Inca civilization in history?
A. Marginal notes on the Descendants of the Incas
B. The Mountain Institute, Western Virginia
C. The Inca Empire ranged 2500 miles from Ecuador to Chile
D. 11.c The Inca Empire: The Children of the Sun

24. How does the illustration about the Spanish conquistador help the readers understand his role in
Inca’s history?
A. The illustration portrays him with a negative image.
B. The illustration shows his achievement on the progress of the civilization.
C. The illustration proves the real existence of Inca.
D. The illustration reminds the readers about the downfall of Inca civilization.

25. Why is the word, Tahuantinsuyu, italicized?

A. To show the original location of Inca civilization
B. To support the idea that Inca was once a great nation before it was conquered
C. To explain the difference of the Land of Four Quarters from the Temple of Gold
D. To put emphasis on the name of Inca Empire in native language