SOMERVILLE SCHOOL, NOIDA

CLASS: X UNIT TEST -1 (2021-22)

SUBJECT- ENGLISH
DATE OF EXAM: JUNE 26,2021

Time: 1 Hour M.M: 30

General Instructions:

This question paper is divided into four sections:

Section A Reading 10 marks

Section B Writing 05 marks
Section C Grammar 05 marks
Section C Literature 10 marks

• Attempt all questions.

• You may attempt any section at a time.
• All questions of that particular section must be attempted in the correct order.

SECTION: A READING (10 MARKS)

Q1. Read the following passage very carefully: (10 marks)

1.What is bonsai? It is not, as it is commonly believed, ‘a tree turned dwarf’. Bonsai is an art
worked with plants in a hollow pot to capture the moods of nature in a surprisingly limited space.
It is designed to express the beauty of nature by all kinds of phenomena imaginable. It may also
suggest that struggle of a tree against the vagaries of nature which is rarely to be found among
trees growing naturally in the fields.

2.In a sense, bonsai can be compared with the Japanese Haiku, miniature poem of seventeen
syllables. Haiku expresses with a minimum of words, a vast wealth of poetic creation. In this sense,
both bonsai and Haiku have something in common: a common method of embracing much in little.

3.There are four important sections in a bonsai as in all plants. The trunk constitutes the very basis
of a tree. It is, therefore, the most important part of a bonsai. It should taper gradually towards the
top. Bonsai requires a careful pruning of the branches from time to time so that the trees look
beautiful from all sides. The colour of the leaves indicates the health of a tree. It is therefore,
important to expose them to sunlight and open air. They are normally hardy plants, and as the rule
are kept outdoors round the year and occasionally brought indoors for decoration and appreciation.
A well-shaped rootage lends a special charm to bonsai, suggesting stability and age. It is an art
that demands not only scientific observations but also much care and affection. It is almost a
miracle that miniature copy of a towering giant can be kept alive literally for centuries in a small
pot.

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4.The practice of bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing, but dwarfing generally refers to
research, discovery, or creation of plant cultivators that are permanent, genetic miniatures of
existing species. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing
small tress from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root
reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style
of mature, full-size trees.

Q. Based on your reading of the passage above, answer the following questions:
(1x10=10marks)

a) Bonsai is the art of dealing with …………….

b) Bonsai and Haiku are similar as both ………………..
c) To make Bonsai tree look beautiful, the branches must be …………..
d) Bonsai is generally kept outside as it ……………
e) A well-shaped rootage lends a special charm to bonsai,…………………….
f) The practice of bonsai is sometimes confused with …………..
g) Bonsai depends on growing small……………
h) Any two techniques that Bonsai uses……………..
i) In paragraph 4, the word which means ‘related to genes or heredity’ -

a) genetic
b) dwarfing
c) bonsai
d) pruning

j) In paragraph 3, the word which means ‘to diminish gradually towards one end’-
a) miniature
b) taper
c) rootage
d) hardy

SECTION: B WRITING SKILLS (5 MARKS)

Q2. You are head of the Music Department of your school. Write a letter to Hyderabad Music
House, placing an order for some musical instruments for your school. You are Anvita/Anil
of DIPS School, Rohini, New Delhi. (100-120 words)

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 SECTION C: GRAMMAR (5 MARKS)

Q3. Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with the help of the given
options: (1x4=4 marks)

The green-house effect a)……… when man-made and natural gases b)…….. on earth enter the
atmosphere and trap energy from the sun, c)……. the planet’s surface temperature. The major
green-house gases d)……… carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour and nitrous oxide.

a) (i) caused (ii) causes (iii) is caused (iv) has caused

b) (i) produces (ii) produced (iii) is produced (iv) has produced
c) (i) raise (ii) raises (iii) raising (iv) raised
d) (i) is (ii) are (iii) was (iv) were

Q4. Fill in the blanks with the correct quantifiers: (1/2x2=1 mark)

a) I always keep _____________ (any/every/some) money in my wallet for emergencies.

b) My mother doesn't drink _____________ (much/many/a lot) coffee.

SECTION: D LITERATURE (10 MARKS)

Q5. Answer the following questions by choosing the correct option: (1X3=3)

a) How does the caged tiger react to the visitors? (1)

(i) He ignores them
(ii) with a happy face
(iii) with a sad face
(iv) proudly

b) Name the poetic device used in "In his quiet rage". (1)
i) metaphor
ii) assonance
iii) oxymoron
iv) consonance

c) What describes "tiger in a cell"? (1)

i) locked in concrete cell
ii) snarling around houses
iii) shadow, long grass
iv) baring his white fangs

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Q.6.Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
(2 marks)
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.

a) What does ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ symbolise?

b) Name the poem and the poet.

Q7. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each. (5marks)

a) Who was Lencho? What happened to his fields? 2

b) What did Mandela think about ‘ oppressor’ and ‘oppressed’? 1
c) What is the message of the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’? 1

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