Second Term Test - 2017

Appreciation of English Literary Texts

Grade
11
School Name :- …………………………………………………………...……………………………………
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Name of the Student/Index No :- …..…………………………………………………………………

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…………………………………………………..…..………………………………………………………………… Time 03 hrs

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• Answer question 1 and four others, selecting one from each section – Poetry, Drama, Prose

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and Fiction.

Part 1

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Section A – Answer all the questions.

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1.

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Read the following extracts and answer the questions given below each extract:
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i) “In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place”
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a) From where are these lines taken? Who wrote them?

b) Who are referred to as “we”? Who is “he”?
C

c) What kind of feeling do “we” have regarding “he”? (05 marks)

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ii) “Great is the battle god, great, and his kingdom

A field where a thousand corpses lie”
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a) Where have these lines been taken from? Who is the writer?
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b) Whose corpses are mentioned here?

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c) What is the tone of these lines? What effect is created by it in reader’s mind? (05 marks)
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iii) “But the winter has chilled my veins, and the frost has nipped my buds, and the storm
has broken my branches…..”
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a) Where does this line appear? Who has written it?

b) Who speaks these words? To whom are they spoken?
c) How does the listener feel after hearing the above words? (05 marks)
iv) “And I’m in a state of mind which, if I don’t pay the interest due tomorrow, will force me to
make a graceful exit from this life feet first.”

a) From where have these lines been extracted? Who has written them?”
b) Whose words are these? To whom are they spoken?
c) What is the tone of the speaker? (05 marks)
Page 1 of 4 Grade 11 - Appreciation of English Literary Texts
v) “For them, avoiding bullets, shells, mines and grenades was imperative for survival”

a) Name the work in which this line is found. Who speaks these words?
b) Who are ‘them’?
c) How does the speaker feel about ‘them’? (05 marks)

vi) “If you say you can’t, I’ll leave you!”

a) To which work does this line belong? Name the writer.

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b) Who speaks these words? To whom are they spoken?
c) What is the tone of the speaker? (05 marks)

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Section B - Answer questions in either (a),(b) or (c).

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Either

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a) Read the following extracts and answer the questions at the end.

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“The children’s mother received the king kindly, and was full of pity; for his forlorn condition and
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apparently crazed intellect touched her womanly heart. She was a widow, and rather poor;
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consequently she had seen trouble enough to enable her to feel for the unfortunate. She imagined
that the demented boy had wandered away from his friends or keepers; so she tried to find out
whence he had come, in order that she might take measures to return him; ”
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C

i) Who is this mother? What is this place? (02 marks)

Who is the ‘unfortunate’ mentioned here?
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ii) (02 marks)

iii) Write the contextual meanings of the given words or phrases in the passage.
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(a) forlorn -
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(b) Demented - (02 marks)

iv) What kind of woman is mentioned in the paragraph? Give reasons. (04 marks)
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Or
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b). …..and I was too frightened to look back as I sat away from mother on a seat on the side-row
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and kept looking past the driver’s head and through the slightly upturned half- of- a windscreen to
the darkness beyond, until I heard the conductor shouts ‘Raaaaaights’ and the bus lurched forward
with a shudder and the headlamps came suddenly, piercing the dark in a yellow shaft of light.

i) Where was the writer going with his mother? (02 marks)
ii) Why were they going there? (02 marks)
iii) Write the contextual meanings of the given words or phrases in the passage.
a. Lurched forward with a shudder -
b. Suddenly piercing the dark - (02 marks)
iv) Why was the writer too frightened to look back? (04 marks)
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c) The only letter Jagan rigorously suppressed was the one in which Mali had written after three
years’ experience in America, “I’ve taken to eating beef, and I don’t think I am any the worse for it.
Steak is something quite tasty and juicy. Now I want to suggest, why don’t you people start eating
beef? It’ll solve the problem of useless cattle in our country and we won’t have to beg for food from
America. I sometimes feel ashamed when India asks for American aid. Instead of that, why not
slaughter useless cows which wander in the streets and block the traffic?” Jagan felt outraged. The
Shastras defined the five deadly sins and the killing of a cow headed the list.

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i) Where is Mali at the moment? (02 marks)
ii) What is this event? (02 marks)

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iii) Write the contextual meanings of the given words or phrases in the passage.

c. rigorously suppressed -

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d. outraged - (02 marks)

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iv. The ‘only letter Jagan ‘suppressed’ was this particular one. How would he have treated
Mali’s other letters? What is your opinion about Mali?

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(04 marks)
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POETRY

(Answer one question only)

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C
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2. Comment on the handling of the theme of oppression in the poem “ I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings”.
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3. What makes “The Camel’s Hump” such a humorous poem? Discuss.

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4. William Blake’s sonnet “To the Evening Star” is a religious poem. Do you agree? Give
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reasons for your answer.

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5. In the poem, ‘Once Upon a Time”, Gabriel Okara deals with a problem that is social,
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personal and, universal. Do you agree? Explain why. (15 marks)

DRAMA

(Answer one question only)

6. The drama “The Twilight of a Crane “ is a reflection on human greed and the destruction it
causes. Do you agree? Elucidate your answer referring to the above drama.

7. What are the elements of humour in ‘The Bear’ by Anton Chekhov? Discuss. (15 marks)
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 PROSE

( Answer one question only)

8. The prose , ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’ involves different interpretations regarding
“love”. Do you agree? Discuss.

9. How does Sangakkara’s speech inspire young generation? Support your answer with

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reference to the text.

10. The extract from “Wave” reveals intense human suffering in an unexpected tragedy. Discuss.

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11. ‘The Lumber Room’ by Saki brings out the generation gap which could be seen even present

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day. Illustrate your answer with relevant facts. (15 marks)

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FICTION w
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(Answer one question only)

12. How does the writer handle the theme of ‘Gap between the rich and the poor’ in the novel,
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“The Prince and the Pauper”. Discuss.

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13. “Mali is a result of Jagan’s wrong parenting”. Do you agree? Discuss referring to the novel
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“The Vendor of Sweets”.

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14. “The enduring love of a little boy for his pet is the central theme of the story, “Bringing
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Tony Home”. Comment on this statement in relation to the text. (15 marks)
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