General Instruction

1. The question paper contains three sections.

2. Section ‘A-Reading’ has 16 questions. Attempt total of 14 questions, as per specific
instructions for each question.
3. Section ‘B-writing Skills’ has 11 questions. Attempt a total of 10 questions, as per specific
instruction for each question.
4. Section ‘C-Literature’ has 27 questions. Attempt 26 questions, as per specific instructions
for each question.
5. All questions carry equal marks.
6. There is no negative marking.

Passage – 1
1. How often do we remember to treat others as you would like them to treat you? In our quest to get
more and more, we forget that the equality of our lives depends on the kind of personalities we
have cultivated for ourselves. Genes might play a role when it comes to one’s disposition, but the
major portion of our attitudes and behaviour is influenced by the choices we make. So in the
beginning of every year should you resolve to make more money, learn a new language, travel
more frequently then you must discontinue to be the same grumpy, impatient soul you always
were, should you then not seek to refine your character, focus on nuances like how you treat
people, react to challenges and deal with stressful situations? For most people such a course would
yield rich results.

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2. According to Mary Thomas, usually our New Year resolutions remain unachieved because we try
to achieve the impossible or sometimes, just add more goals that we wish to accomplish to the list
of resolutions, but, strangely, we do not remember much about them during the course of the year
as we do not seem to value them enough to complete them.
The better option would be to address something fundamental to you, to who you really are, and
go ahead with completing them instead of making any drastic resolutions which you will never be
able to fulfil. You could resolve to be a batter person by having a positive attitude towards people
you come across in life. This could involve being nice with the lady who cleans the house, or your
colleague who sits near you, but you never interacted with. Another trick is to acknowledge
people for the value they add to your personal or professional life. By extending basic courtesies
to people around you, you add value to your life and that pays off in the long run.
3. Sometimes, we know that there is room for improvement as for as our personalities are concerned
but we have little or no idea where to make the start. An easy starting point could be to look for
opportunities in one’s immediate surroundings. One positive starting point could be taking a
positive attitude towards life and dispelling all negative thoughts. You could make a positive
beginning by being a better person at work. This means treating everyone with respect. You
should not only interact politely, but also value each person’s idea however far removed they may
be, to your own. After all, your friend’s ideas are an integral part of the organisation to which both
of you belong. Inculcating this habit of making an effort to talk to people you would normally not
have to interact with on a daily basis, would make you a better person at the workplace.
4. Also, you do not have to do something extraordinary to prove your good intentions. Just greeting
or smiling at your colleagues first thing in the morning could always brighten someone’s day.
These are simple things that we are taught while growing but tend to forget as we move through
life. So essentially, being better is an exercise in learning to be nice, and you will see that playing
nice will get your work done better than scolding or frowning or passing orders.
5. A purposeful life should contain skills that lead to practical changes. After all, no people are alike,
so why should your ideas be the only right solution? A company, where individual differences are
nurtured, information is not suppressed, soon becomes a workplace that adds value to its
employee, rather than merely extracting work out of them. It makes workers feel intrinsically
rewarded. It is, therefore, imperative that co-workers and partners share a camaraderie that
transcends mere professional conduct and delivery. Thus, for a person who wishes to remain
happy and content, it is as valuable to spend time on northing qualities like friendship and
consideration as it is on acquiring skills and knowledge.

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  On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer ANY EIGHT eight questions
by choosing the most appropriate option.
Q.1 The quality of our lives depends on____________.
(i) the personalities we have cultivated for ourselves
(ii) the number of new year resolutions we make
(iii) the challenges that people give us
(iv) None of the above
Q.2 Our New Year resolutions remain unfulfilled, according to Mary Thomas, because
we____________.
(i) Make too many resolutions
(ii) add more goals than what we can accomplish
(iii) get caught up with our studies
(iv) feel happy about them
Q.3 To add value to your life you__________.
(i) must earn more money
(ii) become more hardworking
(iii) should be nice to the people in your immediate surroundings
(iv) only (ii) and (iii)
Q.4 Workers feel intrinsically rewarded if______
(i) they are given bonuses
(ii) their work is given recognition
(iii) their individual difference are acknowledged
(iv) none of the above
Q.5 Playing worse will__________.
(i) label you as a flatterer (ii) not help you at all
(iii) make people see through you (iv) get you work done better
Q.6 You could become a better person by___________
(i) developing a positive attitude towards people around you
(ii) being nice to the workers in your house
(iii) interacting nicely with your colleague who sits next to you and you have never talked to him
(iv) all of the above.
Q.7 The word ‘acknowledge’ in paragraph 2 means to___________.
(i) insult someone’s
(ii) belittle and abuse someone ideas
(iii) recognize someone’s efforts or accomplishments
(iv) accompany someone to a place of work

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Q.8 A good company is____________
(i) where values are not nurtured (ii) individual rights are suppressed
(iii) only work is extracted out of the employees (iv) none of the above
Q.9 ‘Comraderie’ in paragraph 5 stands for_________
(i) good friendship and loyalty among group members
(ii) hostility between two groups
(iii) a feeling of fierce competition
(iv) one upmanship

Passage – 2
1. Earthquakes are one of the largest threats from moving plate tectonics in Indonesia as they come
sudden and can strike in densely populated areas, such as the bigger cities. Earthquakes with a
magnitude of around five or sir on the Richter scale happen almost on a daily basis in Indonesia
but usually cause no or little damage. When the magnitude becomes over seven on the Richter
scale however, an earthquake can potentially do a lot of damage. Yearly, two or three earthquakes
with a magnitude of seven or higher occur in Indonesia and cause casualties and damage the
infrastructure or environment.
2. The table shows the location, date, magnitude and number of casualties that have resulted from
recent earthquakes in Indonesia. There is a general trend for sumatra and Java to most heavily
affected by earthquakes, at least in terms of lives lost, as suggested by the table. This is because
both cities are located on the cost of Indonesia, meaning they are also potentially affected by
underwater earthquakes that cause tsunamis. Furthermore, Sumitra has experienced the largest
magnitude earthquakes with the 2004 earthquake registering 9.3 on the Richter scale and resulted
in a staggering 283, 106 casualties.
Location Date Magnitude Casualties
Sumafra 25 October 2010 7.7 435
Sumafra 30 September 2009 7.6 1.117
Java 17 July 2006 7.7 730
Java 26 May 2006 6.3 5, 780
Sumafra 28 March 2005 8.6 1,313
Sumafra 26 December 2004 9.2 2,83,106
3. An earthquake that occurs underwater, in the oceans, almost always results in mass displacement
of the water surrounding it. The height and destructive power of these waves depend on the
magnitude of the earthquake that generated it. When the force of the waves created is strong
enough, it is specifically identified as a tsunami. On average, it has been identified that a large
tsunami (caused by an earthquake of magnitude 7 +) reaches areas of Indonesia every five years,
with most hitting the cities of Sumafra and Java. In general, evacuations are often made in time in
tsunami-prone area, as many Indonesians living in coastal cities are able to flee to the hills located
further inland to avoid loss of life after being notified of an offshore earthquake. However, the
existing infrastructure and agriculture are unable to be saved, meaning tsunami often devastate the
Indonesian economy.

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4. Just over a decade ago, on the 26th of December 2004, the Indian ocean tsunami resulted from a
giant underwater earthquake that occurred off the coast of northern Sumatra, in Banda Aceh, a city
in Indonesia. This underwater earthquake was the result of a thrust fault that occurred in a
subduction zone where the Australian plate was subducting under the European plate. As a result,
the ocean floor broke, releasing its energy in a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake, which
subsequently caused large scale displacement of water in this region, ultimately generating
massive tsunami waves which hit coastal communities surrounding the epicenter of the disaster,
with the region of Aceh in Indonesia being hit the hardest in particular.
5. Indonesia was both the first and worst hit by this tsunami, which Swamped the northern and
western coastal areas of Sumartra, and the Smaller outlaying islands of sumatra. However, nearly
all the casualties and damages took place on the province of Aceh, Indonesia, where three
devastating earthquakes struck the western shore in succession within 30 minutes. Each of these
waves ranged from 4 to 39 metres high and due to the relativity flat ground of the region, extended
inland for as far as 250 kilometres, Subsequently affecting a large portion of Indonesia of up to an
estimated 300,000 people, while also destroying 250 coasted communities in Indonesia with its
rampant movement.
6. Residential neighborhoods and fishing villages in coastal areas of Indonesia were entirely
devastated, and houses were swept inland or out to sea. While the traditional construction of the
buildings was able to resist the shaking from the underwater earthquake, they could not resist the
continuous forces from the onslaught of tsunamis, meaning most were completely obliterated

 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer ANY SIX question by
choosing the most appropriate option.

Q.10 Mark the FALSE statement.

(i) Stagnant tectonic plates trigger earthquakes.
(ii) Sumartra and Java are prone to earthquakes.
(iii) In Indonesia the hills located further in land are a blessing in disguise.
(iv) Underwater earthquakes in oceans result in mass displacement of water.
Q.11 The casualties in Java and Sumafra are high because____________.
(i) They are untouched by underwater earthquakes
(ii) They are located in the centre of Indonesia
(iii) They are located on the coast of Indonesia
(iv) They are hit by the largest magnitude earthquakes

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Q.12 Indonesia’s prosperity suffers because of_________
(i) manmade calamities (ii) natural calamities
(iii) pollution (iv) deforestation
Q.13 The worst hit region of Indonesia by Tsunami-2004 was _________
(i) Sumatra (ii) Java
(iii) Province of Aceh (iv) Southern coastal area of Sumafra
Q.14 To resist and shield themselves from the earthquakes, Indonesia practises_______.
(i) modern construction of buildings (ii) multi-story buildings
(iii) traditional construction of buildings (iv) building houses on hills
Q.15 The table points out to which city that recorded the highest number of casualties______.
(i) Java (ii) Sumatra (iii) Province of Aceh (iv) both (i) and (ii)
Q.16 The word obliterated does not mean_________.
(i) eradicated (ii) wiped out (iii) created (iv) demolished

WRITING
Answer all three questions given, with reference to the context below.
Read the following advertisement carefully. Some words and pharases have been omitted from it.
The same have been numbered from (17) to (19). Choose the correct option to complete it.

SITUATION VACANT

The sunrise Global school wants a qualified receptionist with good (17)______and a
(18)______personality should have minimum of two years’ experience with working
knowledge of computers. Graduation is must. Salary negotiable. Apply within a week
with complete biodata and (19)_________to the principal, sunrise Global school. Agra.

Q.17 (i) communication skills (ii) conversation skills

(iii) combination skills (iv) community skills

Q.18 (i) Pleased (ii) Pleasing (iii) Pleasant (iv) Please

Q.19 (i) exquisite certificates (ii) Required certificates

(iii) Pre-requested certificates (iv) requisite certificates

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 Answer All three questions.
Read the following notice carefully. Some words and phrases have been omitted from it. The same
have been numbered from (20) to (22). Choose the correct option to complete it.

Delhi Traffic Police

NOTICE
14 August 20xx
Traffic Diversion
This is to inform (20) _______ that the route from ISBT to Red fort via Kasmere Gate
will remain closed due to Independence Day celebrations on 15 August. 20xx. No
vehicles (21) _______ on this route from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All (22) _______ should use the outer Ring Road to go to the ISBT.
Delhi Traffic Police

Q.20 (i) all citizens of the country (ii) all the people of Indian
(iii) Theresidents of Delhi (iv) the citizens

Q.21 (i) will be allowed (ii) can be allowed

(iii) must be allowed (iv) will drive

Q.22 (i) the derivers (ii) the vehicles

(iii) the commuters (iv) the citizens

Answer any four questions

Read the following letter carefully. Fill in the blanks
18, Civil Lines
Meerut 2500xx
22 May 20xx
The Editor
The Indian Nation
New Delhi 1100xx
Dear Sir
Subject: To create healthy balance between news and commercials
Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I would like to raise the issue of news channels in
India, (23) ___ in comparison to foreign news channels. The 24-hour TV news channels are a
major source of information for the common man. However, of late the so-called (24) _____.
Driven primarily by ad sponsors and corporate lobbying, (25) ______. (26) _______, news,
primafacie, is more important than advertisements. The Indain TV news channels need to create a
healthy balance between news and commercials. (27) _______ and entertainment. TV news
channels should be entertainment-friendly rather than ad-friendly.
Yours faithfully
(Ansh Jain)

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Q.23 (i) airing more advertisements than news
(ii) Who are more advertisements than news
(iii) has been airing more advertisements than news
(iv) airing a lot of advertisements then news
Q.24 (i) “News” in TV has hitted an all time low
(ii) “News” on TV has hit very low
(iii) “News” over TV has hit present-time low
(iv) “News” on TV has hit an all-time low
Q.25 (i) TV channels in India had been commercial-friendly
(ii) TV channels in India have been commercial friendly
(iii) TV channels in India having been commercial-friendly
(iv) TV channels in India were commercial-friendly
Q.26 (i) Watch any the foreign news channels
(ii) Observe the foreign news channels
(iii) Look at the foreign news channels
(iv) Listen to the foreign news channels
Q.27 (i) The main focus of TV news channels should be on education.
(ii) The main focus of TV news channels used to be on education
(iii) The main focus of TV news channels should be over education
(iv) The primary focus of TV news channel need be on education

LITERATURE
Answer all four questions.
 This morning, Saheb is on his way to the milk booth. In his hand is a steel canister. “I now
work in a tea stall down the road.” he says, pointing in the distance. “I am paid 800 rupees and
all my meals.” Does he like the job? I ask. His face, I see, has lost the carefree look. The steel
canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulder.
The bas was his. The canister belongs to the man who owns the tea shop. Saheb is no longer
his own master.
Q.28 What change has come about in the life of saheb?
(i) He has started going to a school.
(ii) He looks well-fed now.
(iii) He has started working in a tea stall.
(iv) He has got tennis shoes.
Q.29 ‘He has lost the carefree look’ means______
(i) when he was a raypicker, he was carefree (ii) he could do what he chose
(iii) both (i) and (ii) (iv) he keeps falling sick frequently

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Q.30 What does the title ‘Lost spring’ symbolize?
(i) the spring season (ii) lost wealth (iii) lost health (iv) the lost childhood
Q.31 The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulders.
State the figure of speech used her.
(i) hyperbole (ii) Contrast (iii) Metaphor (iv) Simile

Answer all four questions

 I heard M. Hamel say to me, “I won’t scold you, little Franz; you must feel bad enough. See
how it is! Every day we have said to ourselves. ‘Bah! I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it
tomorrow. And now you see where we have come out. Ah, that’s the great trouble with
Alsace; she puts off learning till tomorrow. Now those fellows out there will have the right to
say to you. How is it, you pretend to be Frenchmen and you can neither speak nor write your
own language?
But you are not the worst , poor little Franz. We have all a great deal to reproach ourselves
with.”

Q.32 “I have plenty of time. I will learn it tomorrow”. What trait does it reflect of the people of Alsace?
(i) putting off things (ii) procrastination
(iii) postponing matters (iv) all of the above
Q.33 M. Hamel’s tone and tenor while speaking is filled with________.
(i) eagerness (ii) regret (iii) pleasure (iv) sorrow

Q.34 In the above extract, what is Hamel trying to emphasize on?

(i) freedom of expression (ii) importance of a language
(iii) importance of one’s mother tongue (iv) all of the above
Q.35 We have all a great deal to reproach ourselves with.” By saying this, Hamel is holding ________
responsible.
(i) himself (ii) parents (iii) parents and himself (iv) none

Answer all four questions

 It seemed a long way down. Those nine feet were more like ninety, and before I touched
bottom my lungs were ready to burst. But when my feet hit bottom I summoned all my
strength and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. I imagined I would bob to the
surface like a cork. Instead, I came up slowly. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but water-
water that had a dirty yellow tinge to it. I grew panicky. I reached up as if so grab (a) rope and
my hands clutched only at water. I was suffocating.

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Q.36 Those nine feet seemed to the author more like
(i) ninety feet (ii) sixty feet (ii) hundred feet (iv) ninety-nine feet
Q.37 How does Douglas try to save himself in the pool?
(i) He shouted but no sound came out
(ii) He tried to push himself up
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) He just gave up
Q.38 That water had a dirty________tinge to it.
(i) blue (ii) pink (iii) sea green (iv) yellow
Q.39 Douglas wasn’t really scared when tossed into the pool at first. Was it because he__________.
(i) thought there were people around who would save him
(ii) was overconfident
(iii) knew swimming well
(iv) Was confident of his strength

Answer all four questions

 ….and felt that
old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile…….
Q.40 What does the poem revolve around?
(i) Kamala Das’s feelings for her mother (ii) her own insecurities
(iii) advancing old age and the expected end (iv) poetess’s journey
Q.41 What was the poet’s childhood fear?
(i) losing her mother (ii) losing her sibling
(iii) Shifting from one school to another (iv) losing a friend
Q.42 Choose an example of alliteration from the following
(i) like winter’s moon (ii) trees sprinting
(iii) Smile and smile and smile (iv) none
Q.43 The expression ‘smile and smile and smile’ signifies something about the poet. What is it ?
(i) Be optimistic about life.
(ii) The poet is trying to hide her fears behind her smile.
(iii) Smile and win the hearts
(iv) Embrace difficulties with a smile.

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 Answer all four questions
 And show the children to green fields, and make their world
Rung azure on gold sands, and let their tongues Run naked into books the white and green
leaves open.
History theirs whose language is the sun.
Q.44 What does the poet want for the children?
(i) a doomed and condemned life (ii) that they get rid of their dismal lives
(iii) a mediocre life (iv) all the above
Q.45 Azure colour here refers to________.
(i) light green (ii) greenish-blue (iii) sky blue (iv) dark blue
Q.46 How will the children be able to create their own history?
(i) When they are exposed to better education.
(ii) When they are truly empowered.
(iii) When their immediate surroundings are broadened.
(iv) All the above
Q.47 The theme of the poem is based on__________.
(i) social injustice and class inequalities (ii) childhood innocence
(iii) child labour (iv) malnourished children

Answer all four questions

 But I say there, are three because I’ve been on the third level of the Grand Central Station.
Yes, I ve taken the obvious step; I talked to a psychiatrist friend of mine, among others. I told
him about the third level at Grand Central Station, and he said it was a waking-dream wish
fulfillment. He said I was unhappy. That made my wife kind of mad, but he explained that he
meant the modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it, and that I
just want to escape.
Q.48 Who does ‘I’ refer to?
(i) Louisa (ii) the narrator (iii) psychiatrist (iv) clerk
Q.49 What are the Three’ that ‘I’ has seen?
(i) books (ii) Shops (iii) Levels (iv) Steps
Q.50 The Grand Central Station in the passage refers to__________.
(i) Houston (ii) New York (iii) Los Angeles (iv) Chicago
Q.51 What was the obvious step, according to ‘I’?
(i) Going back home (ii) Counting the total number of levels
(iii) Waiting at the station for a friend (iv) Consulting his psychiatrist friend

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 Answer any two questions
 “We must simply tell them that we intend to given him to the police- as indeed we must,
Sadao. We, must think of the children and your position. It would endanger all of us if we did
not give this man over as a prisoner of war.”

Q.52 Who are ‘them’ being referred to here?

(i) neighbours (ii) friends (iii) servants (iv) doctors
Q.53 Something would endanger their lives—what was it?
(i) their house being close to the shore (ii) Sheltering the white man.
(iii) Having Servants in the house (iv) Not having friendly neighbours.

Q.54 An expression used in the above stanza is an expanded from of POW?

(i) Prisoner of war (ii) Place of work
(iii) Punishment of war (iv) Prayers of worship

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