DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWTOWN

SESSION 2017-2018
HALF YEARLY EXAMINATION

CLASS: VII FULL MARKS: 80

SUBJECT: ENGLISH PAPER I (SET A) TIME: 2 HOURS

General Instructions:
● The question paper consists of four printed pages.
● Answers should be to the point.
● Copy the question numbers carefully before answering the questions.
● Marks will be deducted for spelling errors.

I) Write a composition (350-400 words) on any one of the following: - [20]

a) You have won a prize in a competition. Give an account of the competition, the efforts you
made, the nature of the prize and what you did with it.

b) A lion escapes from the zoo and is chased through the park and the road before it is
recaptured in the school compound. Imagine that you were involved in recapturing the lion;
and describe the part played by you in recapturing the animal.

c) Study the picture given below. Write a story or a description of an account of what the
picture suggests to you. Your composition may be directly about the subject of the picture or
you may take suggestions from it but there must be some clear connection between the
picture and the composition.

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II) Letter Writing: - (Select ONE of the following) [10]

a) You are suffering from fever and so would not be able to complete your science project in
time. Write a letter to your friend requesting him/her to help you in completing your science
project.

b) Write a letter to your cousin describing your experience of spending a week in a Scouts &
Guides Camp held at Kumaon in Uttarkhand.

III) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: - [20]

Nine o’clock at last, and the toil of the day was ended. Lena climbed to her room in the
third storey of Quarrymen’s Hotel. Since daylight she had slaved, doing the work of a full-
grown woman, scrubbing the floors, washing the plates and cups, making the beds and
supplying wood and water to the roommates in the depressing hotel.
The din of the day’s quarrying was over-blasting and drilling, the creaking of the cranes,
and shifting of the cars taking the heavy blocks of limestone. Lena lit the stump of a candle
and sat limply upon her wooden chair. She was eleven years old, thin and ill-nourished. Her
back and limbs were sore and aching. But the ache in her heart was the worst. The last
straw had been added to the burden upon her small shoulders. They had taken away
Grimm. Always at night, however tired she might be, she had turned to Grimm for comfort
and hope. Each time Grimm whispered to her that the prince or the fairy would come and
deliver her from the wicked enchantment. Every night she had taken fresh courage and
strength from Grimm.
Whichever tale she read, she found in it an analogy to her own condition. The
woodcutter’s lost child, the unhappy goose girl, the persecuted stepdaughter- all these were
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transparent disguises for Lena, the overworked kitchen maid in the Quarrymen’s Hotel.
And as always when the troubles got unbearable, there came the good fairy or the gallant
prince to the rescue. So, here in the ogre’s castle, enslaved by a wicked spell, Lena had
trusted Grimm and waited, longing for powers of goodness to prevail. But on the day before,
Mrs. Maloney had found the book in her room and carried it away, declaring sharply that it
would not do for the servants to read at night; they lost sleep and did not work briskly the
next day. Can one, only eleven years old, living away from one’s mother, and never having
any time to play, live entirely deprived of Grimm? Just try it once and you will see what a
difficult thing it is.

a) Find words from the passage which mean the same as: - [1x3=3]

i) work extremely hard for long hours

ii) a comparison between two things
iii) treat with hostility and aggression

b) Answer the following questions: -

i) How does Lena spend her day? [2]

ii) Was Lena happy with her job? Give two examples to support your answer. [1+2=3]
ii) Who do you think is Mrs. Maloney? Why does she take Grimm away? [1+1=2]

c) In not more than 60 words, elucidate the relationship between Lena and Grimm. [8]

d) Give a title to the summary and give a reason to justify your choice. [2]

IV) Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions: - [½x10=5]

a) Govind has been playing hockey ______ the club.

b) The cat fell ________ the well.
c) Sonia is married ______ Ravi.
d) I kept him _____ arm’s length.
e) The thief was caught ______ the police.
f) Ronnie is scared ______ spiders.
g) Has the train________ Indore arrived?
h) Bristol is a city ______ England.
i) We awoke ______ dawn to see the sunrise.
j) The train passed _________ a long tunnel.

V) Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words given in brackets: - [½x10=5]
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a) The captain, with all his team members, _______ awarded. (were/was)
b) Neither of my brothers _________ any car. (have/has)
c) Fifty thousand rupees _________ a big sum. (is/are)
d) None but the brave _________ a fair chance. (deserve/deserves)
e) Neither the Minister nor his colleagues________ given any explanation for this. (have/has)
f) Which of these books _______ yours? (is/are)
g) Statistics _____ a difficult subject. (are/is)
h) One of the girls ______ sick. (look/looks)
i) The great leader and statesman ______ dead. (is/are)
j) Three-fourth of the house _______ constructed. (were/was)

VI) Join the following sentences without using and, but or so: - [1x5=5]

a) Don’t you have a visa? Then you cannot visit this country.
b) Sahil composed a wonderful song. It became a hit.
c) Rani reached the spot. We were to meet there.
d) Danny met me. I gave him the document.
e) Shenaz was very upset. I wanted to help her out.

VII) Transform the following sentences as directed: - [1x5=5]

a) It is a terrible tragedy. (Change into Exclamatory Sentence)

b) What a silly excuse! (Change into Assertive Sentence)
c) Why should we waste time here? (Change into Assertive Sentence)
d) Only the science students can apply for the post. (Change into Negative Sentence)
e) You cannot please everybody. (Change into Interrogative Sentence)

VIII) Identify the figure of speech and give a reason for it: - [1x5=5]

a) She is fishing in troubled waters.

b) The avalanche devoured everything standing in its way.
c) Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.
d) Beautiful Bella blew bubbles beside the boat.
e) After making a rude remark, Jade snapped her fingers and rolled her neck.

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IX) Identify the phrases and mention their kinds: - [1x5=5]

a) Let’s go on the long, winding road.

b) The movie was not too terrible.
c) He decided to join a gym to get in shape.
d) The end of the season is hard for some athletes.
e) They have a house by the ocean.

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