)‫الـشـارقـة (فرع البنين‬، ‫مدرسـتنـا الثـانـويـة اإلنـجليـزية‬

OUR OWN ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL,

SHARJAH (BOYS’ BRANCH)
ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE Assignment Sheet (Grade 10) June, 2017
Date of Submission: 05/06/2017
SECTION A - READING
Read the following passage carefully:

Human casualty figures in the wake of a tragedy have a numbing effect. How do you react when
you hear that over 150,000 people were killed by the tsunami? However, the horrific scale of the
human tragedy meant that scant attention was paid to another critical aspect, the destruction
brought on marine life and ecosystems.

Even as attention was focused on the mounting human toll in the days after the tsunami, 19 sperm
whales were mysteriously found washed up on several beaches in Australia.

Sea turtles already endangered species were hit too. A single hatchery in Sri Lanka saw seven are
green turtles and 20,000 eggs washed away.

While the direct impact of the tsunami was considerable, fish, dolphins, sea turtles and rare sharks
were found on seashores all along the affected area; the damage to fragile marine ecosystems,
already lilting under the strain of human activity, could be far more significant.

Coral reefs, components of the marine ecosystem, are diverse complex structures. Apart from the
direct impact of the tsunami, large amounts of sediments and debris that were thrown into the
ocean created turbidity from the clouds that could wreck havoc on that need for sunlight to survive.
Some reports say coral reefs could take up to 30 years to recover completely.

There is also considerable concern for green leather back turtles, which used to nest on the beaches
of the Great Nicobar Island towards the south of Nicobar archipelago. The beach has been washed
away. The endangered species of Dugong, the grass eating underwater mammals also known as
the legendary mermaids due to their half-woman, half fish looks, have lost the grassland that was
their habitat in the Andaman Islands.

Mangroves, tropical intertidal forests that support a huge variety of marine organisms are
considered vital nursery areas for many species of fish and crustaceans have been severely

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 inundated by the tsunami. However, amidst all the bad news, there is also been an unexpected
stroke of fortune for marine life. Several countries affected by the tsunami have lost large number
of fishing vessels, which augurs well for their survival. In Tamil Nadu, around 80% of small scale
fishing fleet is estimated to have been affected. In Sri Lanka too, around 75% of fishing vessels
have been either lost or damaged, and similar levels of destruction have taken place in western
Indonesia. Ten of Sri Lanka’s 12 major fishing ports have been seriously affected, with damage to
facilities such as cold storage facilities and slipways.

Figures from other countries are less comprehensive, but surveys suggest that Thailand has lost
more than 4000 boats. It is thought that Somalia has lost more than 2000, and the Maldives is
without about a third of its fleet, all of which spells good news for marine life in these regions
even if only temporarily.
1. On the basis of your reading of the passage answer these questions
briefly:
(a) How had tsunami affected the marine life horribly in Australia?

(b) What showed that marine life in Sri Lanka was critically affected?

(c) How long does a coral reef take to recover completely?

(d) What do you mean by mermaid?

2. Complete the following statements.

(a) Green leather back turtles used to nest _____________.

(b) Ten major fishing ports in Sri Lanka have been affected seriously as____________.

3. Find words from the Passage which mean the same as :

(a) covered with flood water (b) thickness

SECTION B - LITERATURE
II. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow in a sentence:
1. Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
(a) Who is ‘Mars’?
(b) How will ‘living record’ survive the test of time?

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(c) How are other things destroyed with time?
III. Answer the following questions in about 30- 40 words each.
1. How is ‘Time’ personified in the poem? What purpose does it serve?
2. Explain – ‘‘You live in this, and dwell in lover’s eyes’.
3. The poet says that neither forces of nature nor wars can destroy his poetry. What quality
of the poet is revealed through these lines?

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