PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR YOUR REFERENCE AND PRACTICE.
DONOT THINK THAT THESE EXACT QUESTIONS WILL COME FOR YOUR EXAMINATION.SUBMIT BY:
09/07/2025.
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS
1. The Sound of Music – Part I: Evelyn Glennie
Extract:
“It was her first day at the Royal Academy of Music in London and daunting enough for any teenager
fresh from a Scottish farm. But this aspiring musician faced a bigger challenge than most: she was
profoundly deaf.”
Q. Attempt the following questions based on the extract. (1 x 5 = 5 marks)
i. What made Evelyn Glennie’s first day at the Royal Academy daunting?
a) She had never been to a city before
b) She was profoundly deaf
c) She didn’t know English
d) She missed her family
ii. Choose the word from the extract which is a synonym of “intimidating”.
a) Fresh
b) Daunting
c) Aspiring
d) Profound
iii. What challenge did Evelyn face that was greater than most people her age? (Answer in one
sentence.)
iv. What does the word ‘aspiring’ in the extract suggest about Evelyn Glennie? (Answer in one
sentence.)
v. What can we learn from Evelyn’s attitude towards her disability? (Answer in 20–30 words.)
2. The Sound of Music – Part II: Ustad Bismillah Khan
Extract:
“The young boy took to music early in life. At the age of three, when his mother took him to his
maternal uncle’s house in Benaras, he would sit captivated for hours on end. Watching his uncle
practise the shehnai.”
Q. Attempt the following questions based on the extract. (1 x 5 = 5 marks)
i. Who was Bismillah Khan's maternal uncle?
a) Ali Bux
b) Amir Khan
c) Rasool Bux
d) Zakir Hussain
ii. Which word in the extract means ‘fascinated’ or ‘spellbound’?
a) Took
b) Practise
c) Captivated
d) Hours
iii. What instrument did the young boy watch his uncle practise? (Answer in one sentence.)
iv. What does this extract tell us about Bismillah Khan’s interest in music? (Answer in one sentence.)
v. How did Bismillah Khan’s childhood environment shape his future? (Answer in 20–30 words.)
3. Poem – Wind by Subramania Bharati
Extract:
“Wind, come softly.
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.”
Q. Attempt the following questions based on the extract. (1 x 5 = 5 marks)
i. The poet is asking the wind to:
a) Come quickly
b) Stay away
c) Blow harshly
d) Be gentle
ii. Pick the word from the stanza that means ‘spread around’.
a) Break
b) Scatter
c) Throw
d) Come
iii. What literary device is used in “Wind, come softly”? (Answer in one sentence.)
iv. What damage does the wind do according to the poet? (Answer in one sentence.)
v. What is the poet’s underlying message through this extract? (Answer in 20–30 words.)
4. Poem – Rain on the Roof by Coates Kinney
Extract:
“Now in memory comes my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers
Ere she left them till the dawn:”
Q. Attempt the following questions based on the extract. (1 x 5 = 5 marks)
i. Who is remembered by the poet in this stanza?
a) His sister
b) His aunt
c) His mother
d) His friend
ii. Choose the word from the stanza that means “long ago”.
a) Dawn
b) Ere
c) Agone
d) Dreamers
iii. What does the phrase “darling dreamers” refer to? (Answer in one sentence.)
iv. What memory is evoked by the sound of rain? (Answer in one sentence.)
v. Explain the emotional tone of the poet in these lines. (Answer in 20–30 words.)
ANSWERS
1. The Sound of Music – Part I: Evelyn Glennie
i. b) She was profoundly deaf
ii. b) Daunting
iii. Evelyn was profoundly deaf, which was a major challenge for a musician.
iv. It suggests she was ambitious and passionate about becoming a musician.
v. Evelyn teaches us that determination and passion can help us overcome even the biggest
obstacles, like physical disabilities.
2. The Sound of Music – Part II: Ustad Bismillah Khan
i. a) Ali Bux
ii. c) Captivated
iii. He watched his uncle practise the shehnai.
iv. It shows that he was deeply drawn to music from a very young age.
v. His early exposure to music and the environment of Benaras helped him develop his passion and
skills, shaping him into a great shehnai maestro.
3. Poem – Wind by Subramania Bharati
Answers:
i. d) Be gentle
ii. b) Scatter
iii. It is apostrophe, where the poet addresses the wind directly as if it were a person.
iv. The wind breaks shutters, scatters papers, and throws down books.
v. The poet implies that the weak get easily destroyed, so we should build strength and stability to
withstand challenges in life.
4. Poem – Rain on the Roof by Coates Kinney
i. c) His mother
ii. c) Agone
iii. “Darling dreamers” refers to the children (including the poet) who were lovingly watched by their
mother while they slept.
iv. The sound of rain brings back sweet memories of his mother and childhood.
v. The tone is nostalgic and emotional. The poet fondly remembers his mother’s love and care during
his childhood.
