202110718-PERFORM-STUDENT-WORKBOOK-ENGLISH-G10-FY_Optimized

practice workbook english Grade 10 Name: Roll No: Section: School Name:

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This practice book is designed to support you in your journey of learning English for Class 10. The contents and topics of this book are entirely in alignment with the NCERT syllabus. For each chapter, a concept map, expected objectives and practice sheets are made available. Questions in practice sheets address different skill buckets and different question types, practicing these sheets will help you gain mastery over the lesson. The practice sheets can be solved with the teacher’s assistance. There is a self-evaluation sheet at the end of every lesson, this will help you in assessing your learning gap.



TABLE OF CONTENT • Assessment Pattern: 40 Marks • Assessment Pattern: 80 Marks • Syllabus & Timeline for Assessment Page 1: Unit 1: 1.1 A Letter to God Page 2: Unit 1: 1.2 Dust of Snow Page 2: Unit 1: 1.3 Fire and Ice Page 5: Unit 2: 2.1 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Page 6: Unit 2: 2.2 A Tiger in the Zoo Page 9: Unit 3: 3.1 Two Stories about Flying Page 10: Unit 3: 3.2 How to Tell Wild Animals Page 10: Unit 3: 3.3 The Ball Poem Page 13: Unit 4: 4.1 From the Diary of Anne Frank Page 14: Unit 4: 4.2 Amanda Page 17: Unit 5: 5.1 The Hundred Dresses –I Page 20: Unit 6: 6.1 The Hundred Dresses –II Page 20: Unit 6: 6.2 Animals Page 23: Unit 7: 7.1 Glimpses of India Page 24: Unit 7: 7.2 The Trees Page 27: Unit 8: 8.1 Mijbil the Otter Page 28: Unit 8: 8.2 Fog Page 31: Unit 9: 9.1 Madam Rides the Bus Page 32: Unit 9: 9.2 The Tale of Custard the Dragon Page 35: Unit 10: 10.1 The Sermon at Benares Page 36: Unit 10: 10.2 For Anne Gregory Page 39: Unit 11: 11.1 The Proposal Page 44: 1. Determiners Page 45: 2. Prepositions Page 46: 3. Modals Page 47: 4. Verb Concord Page 48: 5. Clauses Page 49: 6. Tenses Page 51: 7. Voice Page 52: 8. Reported Speech Page 55: 9. Formal Letters Page 58: 10. Letter to the Editor Page 60: 11. Story Writing MODEL QUESTION PAPER







ASSESSMENT PATTERN Marks: 40 Grade 10 / English Qtn. Question Max Optionals PAPER: BEGINNER PAPER: PROFICIENT No. Nature Marks Reading the comprehension Difficulty Qtn Type Skill Difficulty Qtn Type Skill 1 - Passage 1 4 Reading comprehension 4 4/5 Easy VSA Understanding Easy VSA Understanding 2 -Passage 2 2 Informal /Formal letter/ Article 6 2/3 Easy SA Understanding Easy VSA Understanding 3 OR Picture Composition/ Diary/ 4 Short story based on a given 3 2/3 Easy VSA Remembering Easy VSA Remembering 5 outline or cue/s. 4 Gap filling with one or two 1/2 Medium LA Creating Easy LA Creating 6 words to test Grammar 2 7 Editing or omission of given 3 3/4 Easy VSA Understanding Easy VSA Understanding 8 paragraph. 6 Sentences Reordering or 4/5 Easy VSA Understanding Easy VSA Understanding Sentence Transformation 6 in context. 2/3 Easy VSA Analysing Easy VSA Analysing Extracts from prose/ poetry/ drama for reference to context. 1/2 Medium VSA Understanding Medium VSA Understanding Questions from Prose Questions from Prose and 3/4 Easy SA Remembering Difficult SA Remembering in about 100-120 words OR Questions from the extended 1/2 Difficult LA Applying Difficult LA Applying reading texts on theme, plot or character. Beginner Paper: (Easy: 50%, Medium: 40%, Difficult: 10%) Proficient Paper: (Easy: 40%, Medium: 40%, Difficult: 20%) Easy Question: Remembering questions directly from the text or from the given exercises. (Mostly from content of book or end of chapter exercise). Medium Difficulty Question: In-depth understanding of questions, not necessarily from the text. (Slightly modified concepts or end of chapter questions). Difficult Question: Question involving creativity like story writing, analysis question like character analysis, justification of title or extracts (mostly requires creative and thinking skills).

ASSESSMENT PATTERN Marks: 80 Grade 10 / English Qtn. Question Max Optionals PAPER: BEGINNER PAPER: PROFICIENT No. Nature Marks Difficulty Qtn Type Skill Difficulty Qtn Type Skill Reading comprehension 1 - Passage 1 8 8/9 Easy VSA Understanding Easy VSA Understanding 2 Reading Comprehension 8 Passage 2 4 4/5 Medium SA Analysing Medium SA Analysing 3 8 4 Informal /Formal letter / 10 4/5 Easy VSA Remembering Easy VSA Remembering Article writing 5 Picture Composition, Writing 4 1/2 Easy LA Creating Easy LA Creating 6 a short story/ Diary based on 4 7 a given outline or cue/s 1/2 Medium LA Creating Medium LA Creating Gap filling with one or two 4 8 words to test Grammar. 4 4/5 Easy VSA Understanding Easy VSA Understanding 9 Editing or omission of given 8 10 paragraph. 8 4/5 Easy VSA Understanding Easy VSA Understanding 11 Sentences Reordering or Sentence Transformation 10 4/5 Easy VSA Analysing Easy VSA Analysing in context. Extracts from prose/poetry/ 1/2 Medium VSA Understanding Medium VSA Understanding drama for reference to context. Questions from Prose & Poetry 4/5 Easy SA Remembering Difficult SA Remembering (30 -40 words) Questions from Prose and 1/2 Difficult LA Applying Difficult LA Applying Poetry in about 100-120 words. Questions from the extended 1/4 Medium LA Applying Medium LA Applying reading texts on theme, plot or character. Beginner Paper: (Easy: 50%, Medium: 40%, Difficult: 10%) Proficient Paper: (Easy: 40%, Medium: 40%, Difficult: 20%) Easy Question: Remembering questions directly from the text or from the given exercises. (Mostly from content of book or end of chapter exercise). Medium Difficulty Question: In-depth understanding of questions, not necessarily from the text. (Slightly modified concepts or end of chapter questions). Difficult Question: Question involving creativity like story writing, analysis question like character analysis, justification of title or extracts (mostly requires creative and thinking skills).

SYLLABUS FOR ASSESSMENT Grade 10 / English CHAPTERS PT-1 TE-1 PT-2 MOCK 1. 1.1 A Letter to God ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 1.2 Dust Of snow ✓ ✓ ✓ 1.3 Fire and Ice 2. 2.1 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom ✓ ✓ ✓ 2.2 A Tiger in the Zoo ✓ ✓ ✓ N.D ✓ ✓ 1. A Triumph of Surgery ✓ ✓ ✓ 2. The Thief’s Story ✓ ✓ ✓ Grammar ✓ ✓ 1. Determiners ✓ ✓ ✓ 2. Prepositions ✓ ✓ ✓ 3. Modals ✓ ✓ ✓ 4. Subject Verb Concord Clauses ✓ RWT: Discursive passage ✓ ✓ ✓ Factual and discursive passage ✓ ✓ Formal letter - Complaint ✓ ✓ 3. 3.1 Two Stories about Flying ✓ ✓ 3.2 How to Tell Wild Animals ✓ ✓ 3.3 The Ball Poem ✓ ✓ 4. 4.1 From the Diary of Anne Frank ✓ 4.2 Amanda! ✓ ✓ 5. 5.1 The Hundred Dresses –I ✓ 6. 6.1 The Hundred Dresses- II ✓ ✓ 6.2 Animals ✓ ✓ N.D: ✓ ✓ The Midnight Visitor ✓ 4. A Question of Trust ✓ ✓ 5. Footprints without Feet ✓ ✓ Grammar 5. Clauses ✓ 6. Tenses ✓ RWT: Discursive passage ✓ Discursive passage ✓✓ Formal letter - Inquiry ✓✓ Formal letter - Placing Order ✓✓ 7. 7.1 Glimpses of India ✓✓ 7.2 The Trees 8. 8.1 Mijbil the Otter ✓✓ 8.2 The Fog ✓✓ N.D: ✓✓ 6. The Making of a Scientist 7. The Necklace ✓✓ 8. The Hack Driver ✓✓ Grammar ✓✓ 7. Voice ✓✓ 8. Reported Speech 9. RWT: Formal letter ✓ 10. Letter to the editor ✓ 11. Story Writing ✓ 9. 9.1 Madam Rides the Bus ✓ 9.2 The Tale of Custard the Dragon ✓ 10. 10.1 The Sermon at Benares 10.2 For Anne Gregory

SYLLABUS FOR ASSESSMENT Grade 10 / English CHAPTERS PT-1 TE-1 PT-2 MOCK 11. 11.1 The Proposal ✓ ND: ✓ 8. The Hack Driver ✓ 9. Bholi ✓ 10. The Book that Saved the Earth Assessment Timeline Periodic Test-1 : 1st July to 31st July Term Exam-1 : 23rd September to 21 October Periodic Test-2 : 16th December to 13th January Mock Exam : 17th February to 9th March

LESSON WISE PRACTICE SHEETS (This section has a set of practice questions grouped into different sheets based on different concepts. By solving these questions you will strengthen your subject knowledge. A self-evaluation sheet is provided at the end of every lesson.)



1.1 A Letter to God Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: The field was white, as if covered with salt. Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons, “A plague of locusts would have left more than this. The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no corn.” 1. What happened to the trees? 2. Why was Lencho’s soul filled with sadness? 3. What made Lencho say, ‘This year we will have no corn’? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: In the passage, which word or phrase means ‘a large number of’? (a) more than this (b) in the middle of (c) a plague of (d) as if. Extract 2: Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence — but he became angry when he counted the money. God could not have made a mistake, nor could He have denied Lencho what he had requested. Immediately, Lencho went up to the window to ask for paper and ink. On the public writing-table, he started to write, with much wrinkling of his brow, caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas. When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to the envelope with a blow of his fist. 1. Why did Lencho become angry when he counted the money? 2. Who sent him the money and why? 3. What request did he make to God when he wrote another letter after receiving the money? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘was not allowed’? (a) denied (b) finished (c) caused (d) affixed. 1

1.2 Dust of Snow Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day l had rued 1. Explain ‘dust of snow’. 2. What has changed the poet’s mood? 3. Do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent joy or sorrow? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the poem means ‘regretted’? (a) saved (b) rued (c) shook (d) given. 1.3 Fire and Ice Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: But if it had to perish twice, I think / know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. 1. According to the poet, how can the world ‘perish twice’? 2. What does the poet equate hate with? 3. Explain the lines ‘ice Is also great’. 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the stanza means ‘be sufficient’? (a) perish (b) ice (c) twice (d) suffice. 2

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the passage carefully: Answer the following questions. Discursive a. When does a person become overconfident? Why does a person become overconfident? The reason b. Mention one of the biggest mistakes made by lies in over assessment of his capabilities. Sometimes Napoleon Bonaparte. people over assess their competence and jump into c. What increases the chances of failure? situations that are beyond their control. d. Who is an overconfident person? Napoleon Bonaparte who became the Emperor of e. What does overconfidence generally lead people France would say that the word ‘impossible’ was into? common only amongst the fools. The overconfident f. What should one do while taking a risk? Napoleon invaded Russia in the winter of 1812. This g. What is the difference between a confident and proved to be a big disaster. an overconfident person? Overconfidence generally leads people into h. Find a word from para 1 which means the same misadventures, endangering their chances in life. It as ‘ability’. is wisely said that any achievement is a result of two II . Write a story in about 200 words beginning factors: one’s personal planning and support from with the given lines. the external world. People take into account only It was 6 o’ clock in the morning. The sun was their planning, generally ignoring the external factors. shining bright. The boy was moving towards the They become unable to foresee future developments. field…………….. Hence, the great risk of failure. Then there is the question: How can one manage overconfidence? The formula is very simple. Before taking a decision, discuss the matter with other informed people with an objective mind and when it is proved that you are about to go off the path, accept reality and say without delay, “I was wrong”. Overconfidence is a flaw characterising people who lack the virtue of modesty. Modesty makes you a realist; you become a person who is cut down to size. People of this kind become very cautious; before taking an action they assess the whole situation. They adopt a realistic approach. Overconfident people live within their own thoughts. They know themselves but they are unaware of others. Living inside their own cell they are unable to make use of the experiences of others. This kind of habit is highly damaging to all concerned. There is a saying that the young man sees the rule and old man sees the exception. With a slight change, I would like to say that the overconfident person sees the rule and the confident person sees the exception. Overconfident people are always at risk. It is said that taking risk is good but it must be well-calculated otherwise it becomes very dangerous. 3

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) end. I guess that’s what you call wisdom. And now it’s at juncture in my life and [f] Grammar: career that award has come my way. [g] It is not just an award a recognition for [h] 1. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct the person and profession. alternatives. Hillary Clinton is [a] _____ [an/the/in/a] 67th US 5. Rearrange the jumbled words to form mean- Secretary of State. She embarked [b] _____ [for/ ingful sentences. on/in/at] a career in law graduating from the Yale a. love / of others / good manners / and / win the / Law School. She [c] _____ [ has been/had been/ respect was being/was] elected as Senator for New York b. when / best / they can / one is / be learnt / young state [d] _____[for/on/in/since] 2000. As Obama’s c. saves us / turns away / soft answer / anger and / Secretary of State [e] _____ [they/her/it/she] is the a / a pitfall / from many first [f] _____ [recent/new/old/former] First Lady to d. who is / strangers / respectful / a person / even / serve in [g] _____ [any/a/all/the] President’s Cab- like inet. As the Secretary of State, she is responsible [h] _____ [in/on/at/for] carrying out the President’s foreign policies. 2. Read the given conversation and complete the paragraph given below. Mother: Why are you late from the gym today? Rahul: The trainer was demonstrating some new weight lifting exercises. Mother: Why didn’t you inform me earlier? Rahul: I called you but you did not answer the call. The mother asked Rahul [a] ___________. Rahul mentioned that [b] __________ weight lifting exercises. The mother further asked [c] __________ earlier. Rahul replied that [d] __________ but she [e] 3. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. Those were days of extremity poverty. [a] Sometimes if we gets a sponsor we would [b] get pay a thousand or two a month, [c] if that was rare. It was only due[d] to supportive friends which were ready to [e] share everything they had, on a roof to [f] food and meagre save, that I managed [g] to survive a really difficulty decade. [h] 4. In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. Since then 25 years flown past [a] and now I have begun to things a little [b] easy and channel energy better. [c] I am still intense acting, but not as [d] aggressive. If I get something life doesn’t [e] 4

2.1 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in my country and my people. All of us will spend many years, if not generations, recovering from that profound hurt. But the decades of oppression and brutality had another, unintended effect and that was that is produced the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Cheif Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos, the Bram Fischers, the Robert Sobukwes of our time - men of such extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity that their like may never be known again. Perhaps it requires such depths of oppression to create such heights of character. My country is rich in the minerals and gems that lie beneath its soil, but I have always known that its greatest wealth is its people, finer and truer than the purest diamonds. 1. What harm did the policy of apartheid cause? 2. Did it have any good result? 3. What does the writer pay as a tribute to the great men of his country? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘deep and strong’? (a) profound (b) finer (c) lasting (d) extraordinary. Extract 2: But then I slowly saw that not only was I not free, but my brothers and sisters were also not free. I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone who looked like I did. That is when I joined the African National Congress, and that is when the hunger for my own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of my people. It was this desire for the freedom of my people to live their lives with dignity and self-respect that animated my life, that transformed a frightened young man into a bold one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-loving husband into a man without a home, that forced a life-loving man to live like a monk. I. What hunger does the writer talk of? 2. How did this hunger affect his family life? 3. Was he forced to live the life of a monk? How? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage is a synonym of ‘changed’? (a) transformed (b) joined (c) drove (d) forced. 5

2.2 A Tiger in the Zoo Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: But he’s locked in a concrete cell, His strength behind ban, Stalking the length of his cage, Ignoring visitors. 1. Who does ‘he’ refer to in the stanza? 2. Why is ‘he’ locked? 3. Who is ignoring the visitors and why? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: What does the word ‘cell’ mean in these lines? (a) A very big room (b) A very dirty room (c) A very good room (d) A very small room. 6

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the passage carefully: long time to come. [discursive] Answer the questions given below. Antiques have made a strong comeback in the a. What has been the reason for antiques having made furniture market. Simplistic, sleek and contemporary a comeback into the market? has been the style that has ruled the roost in b. Why has the preference for antique furniture taken a the furniture industry for many years now. Art backseat? connoisseurs have long been the only ones who could c. What is meant by ‘distressing’ furniture? appreciate the effort and skill that went into creating d. What makes antique furniture unique? the beautiful antique furniture pieces. But with Complete the statements given below. growing awareness among consumers, people are a. Carpentry is nothing ________________________ now open to unique options and for those with a good _____________________. eye, it is antiques that catch their attention. b. If one takes good care of ancient pieces ________ Nowadays, antique style furniture that is new wood ____________________________. but designed in older styles is also getting popular. It Find words from the passage which mean the same basically has the same kind of style that was prevalent as the ones given below: a century back. But if looked at closely, the handiwork a. modern or present day [para 1] is no where as close to the ornate detailing of the b. duplicate or copy olden pieces. Carpentry is nothing short of an art and II. You are Rohan/Riya. You are watching your skilled artisans in this industry are getting harder to friends constantly misusing technology. This set find every year. No wonder then, that pieces that pass you thinking on how the youth misuses technology off as antique look-alikes very often have simple work in the current times. Write a letter to the editor that aren’t a patch on the original pieces. of a local daily on the dangers of such misuse and People today have gotten used to run-of-the-mill how it can be controlled. products that are neither personal nor do they have the detailing that was the identity of the days gone by. Even when pieces are custom-made, the clients are in a hurry to get the finished product and artisans are under pressure to get the job done so that they can take more orders. Distressing furniture is also a trend that is catching on in a big way these days. The simplest way to give an antique feel to any furniture is by ‘distressing’ which can be done for contemporary pieces as well. The idea is to get a rough, worn out feel which can be done by scrubbing the wood to get a grainy feel and with polish to create an artificial well-worn look. Carpenters do a good job of it but many people prefer to do it themselves as it gives them the satisfaction of having added a personal touch to the piece. When it comes to original antique furniture, every aspect counts. The grain of the wood, the scratches and the dents made on it over the years, the irregularities in the colour of the product, everything adds character to the piece and that is what makes it unique. That is the kind of look that ‘distressed furniture’ aims to replicate. One needs to understand that ancient pieces need to be well taken care of. Investing in their upkeep will ensure that they continue to serve their purpose for a 7

PRACTICE SHEET - 12 (PS-12) Grammar: 4. In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. 1. Read the given information on how to make Rock heavy metal enthusiasts from all over [a] noodles and complete the paragraph given Asia gear up one of the most anticipated music [b] below. festivals of the year Bangalore, G-Shock Bangalore[c] Open Air. One the most anticipated music festivals[d] Boil a glass of water in a pan. in the country, the 8th edition of the festival plans to Add the spices to the boiling water and stir for a minute. up the ante give rock and metal lovers from all over Crunch the packaged noodles and empty the [e] packet into the water. a festival experience they never forget. [f] Add green peas, carrots and spring onion. 5. Rearrange the jumbled words to form meaningful Leave the mixture to simmer for three minutes sentences. and serve with a topping of tomato sauce. a. inside/grandeur/the palace hall/it was/all b. interwoven/pearls/were/flower garlands/sparkling/ This is how I made noodles yesterday. First a with glass [a] __________ in a pan. Next the spices [b] __________ and [c] __________ for a minute. c. wooden stage/painted backcloth/the/decorated/ Following this, the packaged noodles [d] with a/was  __________ and the packet [e] _________ into the water. Next, green peas, carrot and spring onion [f] __________ to the preparation. Finally, the mixture [g] _________ for three minutes and later it [h] _________ with a topping of tomato sauce. 2. Complete the passage by choosing the appropriate options from those given in the brackets. Is your glass half-full or half-empty? On [a] _____ [some/those/few/these] days when nothing seems to be going right, it [b] _____ [can/might/will/must] be really tough to see the silver lining [c] _____ [between/of/on/among] all those clouds. However, it is during [d] _____ [this/that/these/those] times that the [e] _____ [wish/desire/chance/ability] to see good in even the worst situations becomes very important. An optimistic attitude [f] _____ [benefitted/ will benefit/ benefits/ benefitting] not only your mental health, but your physical well-being as well. 3. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. For the past two year, Robert Glazer, the CEO [a] of the Boston-based market agency Accelerated [b] partners, have welcomed the holiday season [c] by making some of her employees’ greatest [d] wishes come true. In any case Glazer sent an [e] employee and her daughter to visited the [f] employee’s best friend on Greece. The [g] end resulting made the employee very happy. [h] 8

3.1 Two Stories about Flying Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice of him. He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau, dozing with their heads sunk into their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. 1. Who does ‘He’ in the passage refer to? 2. Describe the way he stood on the brink of the ledge. 3. Where were his brothers and his sister lying? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘a large area of level land above the area around it’? (a) notice (b) brink (c) plateau (d) ledge. Extract 2: The moon was coming up in the east, behind me, and stars were shining in the clear sky above me. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside. Questions 1. Who narrates the above lines? 2. Which type of weather conditions are being discussed in the above lines? 3. What does the author mean by ‘the sleeping countryside’? 4. Why is the narrator happy? 5. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage is opposite in meaning to `sorrowful’? (a) shining (b) clear (c) sleeping (d) happy. 9

3.2 How to Tell Wild Animals Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: If when you’re walking round your yard You meet a creature there, Who hugs you very very hard, Be sure it is a Bear. If you have any doubts, I guess He’ll give you just one more caress. 1. Name the poem and the poet. 2. What will happen when you meet the bear? 3. Explain ‘He’ll give you just one more caress’? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘embrace’? (a) creature (b) yard (c) guess (d) caress. 3.3 The Ball Poem Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: He senses first responsibility In a world of possessions. People will take Black, balls will be lost always, link boy. And no one buys a ball back. Money is eternal 1. Who does the word ‘he’ refers to? 2. What does he sense? 3. Why is money called eternal? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: What is the opposite of ‘eternal’? (a) transient (b) permanent (c) occasional (d) promotional. 10

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the passage carefully: Managing your expectations is very important for [discursive] happiness, says Schwartz. If you drink ordinary WHY GOOD ENOUGH IS BETTER THAN BEST instant coffee every day, an occasional artisanal You go to a department store to buy toothpaste. cup will feel divine, but if you get used to fine coffee, The shelves have about two dozen different types you will lose the need to scout around for a better of paste. Each one is attractively packaged to catch cup when you are in a mood to treat yourself. So it your attention and claims to be the best for removing is better to drink ‘good coffee’ infrequently, and in stains, protecting the enamel and strengthening your that way continue to appreciate how good it is. gums. Your mind is boggled even before you start Answer the questions given below. comparing the weight, price and discounts. The simple a. What makes the simple task of buying a toothpaste task of buying a toothpaste has become complicated. a complicated one? It makes you wonder whether having too much choice b. Why should there be a limit to choice? is a good thing. c. What is choice equated with? Psychologist Barry Schwartz, who wrote the book d. Why does one rely more on habit than making a ‘The Paradox of Choice’, says, “We should take every fresh choice? opportunity to enhance choice, but it’s not without e. When is a person likely to be more satisfied with limit. When you go from having no choice to having his choice? some choice, your life is better. But when you go from f. How can one continue to appreciate the ‘good’? having some choice to essentially infinite choices, g. Find a word from para 2 which means the same as weird things start to happen.” ‘contradiction’. Just a few decades ago, all man made things were h. Find a word from para 3 which means the opposite scarce. So, plenty and variety were regarded as good. of ‘coercion’. But though we have a superabundance of things II. You are Aman/Amita. You have got a scholarship now, we still believe that we will be better off with to pursue your higher studies abroad. But you even more choices. Somehow, choice is equated need to complete two levels of the Spanish with freedom, autonomy and control over lives, says course before joining the university. During your Schwartz. research, you came across a language school As the toothpaste example shows, instead of being called Royal Institute, which offers courses in liberated by all this choice, you get paralysed. You foreign languages. Write a letter to the Director make worse decisions, and even when you make of the Language institute enquiring for a short good decisions, you are less satisfied. Having too course in the Spanish language. much choice not only confuses but also nudges you to do what you normally do. For instance, faced with two dozen types of toothpaste, you might decide to buy your regular brands. This happens when choice overwhelms you and hinders the brain’s intuitive approach. You are forced to switch into the slower, more deliberate mode of decision making, for example, when you start picking up each toothpaste box and reading the ingredients and other details. Since this demands effort, you are more likely to rely on habit instead of making a fresh choice. The world of choice has generated ridiculously, unrealistically high expectations, and the result is that we’re almost always disappointed. What if you had only two types of paste to choose from? You would not expect either to be perfect in that case, and you would be more likely to feel satisfied with the product. 11

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) Grammar: 3. In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. 1. Use the information in the headlines to complete the sentences given below. Milk is a perfect food. It should form essential [a] a. PARKING ROW : MAN BATTERED TO DEATH part of daily diet. Doctors advise never to [b] A 45 year old cab driver _________ to death miss daily glass of milk. It is good for [c] over a parking issue in Dollars Colony on people of ages but it is especially [d] Friday. needed for growing children because b. HEAT WAVE CLAIMS 300 LIVES IN THE of nourishing value. [e] COUNTRY THIS YEAR The heat wave __________ 300 lives in the 4. Rearrange the jumbled words to form meaningful country this year. sentences. c. HIGH COURT SETTLES 235 CASES ON A SINGLE a. dreamt/climbing the/Mount Everest/of/Santosh DAY Yadav As many as 235 cases __________ today in b. peak/she/in scaling/the/twice/succeeded the High Court. c. many/in these/take/races/part/teams d. SLOTH BEAR KILLS HANDLER IN THE UK ZOO d. the river/a lot/from/of/them/watch/people/banks Last week, Berry the sloth bear __________ his handler at the Edinburgh zoo in UK. 5. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. 2. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate options It is a unknown story. Women join the [a] from those give in brackets. workforce of numbers, but only a few make [b] it to the top. Many disappeared from the It is generally [a] _____ [believing/belief/ workplace [c] believed/believe] that an infinite number giving up our careers after marriage, [d] of creatures [b] _____ [can/should/must/ childbirth or simplified inflexible work [e] need to] live in the sea. But the ever [c] _____ environment. At a recently event in Mumbai, [f] [increased/increases/increase/increasing] level three powerful woman took to the stage to [g] of pollution in the sea [d] _____ [will threaten/ talk about the important of women has been threatening/threatened/threatens] in the workplace. [h] these life forms. We fail to understand [e] _____ [what/why/that/those] these life forms are interdependent and the [f] _____ [destroy/ destructible/destruction/destructive] of a single element can be disastrous to the whole system. 12

4.1 From the Diary of Anne Frank Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: All I think about when I’m with friends is having a good time. I can’t bring myself to talk about anything but or- dinary everyday things. We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other. In any case, that’s just how things are, and unfortunately they’re not liable to change. This is why I’ve started the diary. 1. Who does ‘I’ in the passage refer to? 2. What does she discuss with her friends? 3. What is not liable to change? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘trust someone to tell a secret’? (a) closer (b) talk (c) confide (d) change. Extract 2: ‘Paper has more patience than people.’ I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands, bored and listless, wondering whether to stay in or go out. I finally stayed where I was, brooding. Yes, paper does have more patience, and since I’m not planning to let anyone else read this stiff-backed notebook grandly referred to as a ‘diary’, unless I should ever find a real friend, it probably won’t make a bit of difference. 1. Who is the speaker in these lines? What does she call her diary? 2. Why does she decide to write a diary? 3. According to the speaker, what is the advantage of a diary over people? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means the same as ‘lacking energy’? (a) depressed (b) listless (c) brooding (d) unless. 13

4.2 Amanda Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Did you finish your homework, Amanda? Did you tidy your room, Amanda? I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda! 1. What does the speaker ask Amanda? 2. What had Amanda been asked to do? Has she done it? 3. Name the poem and the poet. 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the stanza means ‘to make neat and clean’? (a) told (b) clean (c) finish (d) tidy. 14

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the passage carefully. directing people in spiritual and ritualistic ways. [factual] There are three key reasons the Hindu community HINDUISM IN THE CARIBBEAN has become very strong in the Caribbean. First, Fifty years before Swami Vivekananda gave his they were treated very badly by local Christian famous speech on Hinduism in Chicago, the communities, which saw them as primitive and religion was being practiced in the Caribbean. isolators. Second, they also faced hostility from Even today, it is an important religion among Afro-Caribbean communities, which resented Indians who live in Guyana, Surinam and Trinidad them for ending the negotiation advantage and Tobago. This is the result of a migration that they enjoyed with plantation owners. The third began 150 years ago. factor was the arrival of Hindu reformer groups After slavery was abolished in the 19th century, like the Arya Samaj in the early 20th century that European-owned sugar plantations of the West rejected post-Vedic rituals and the worship of Indies desperately needed new workers. They idols, upsetting many Caribbean Hindus who wanted cheap and skilled labour fast. The had sustained the religion through these very people they had enslaved before refused to practices. submit to exploitative conditions, so plantation In fact, what united the Caribbean Hindus in owners turned to European colonies. Chinese times of great hardship were religious texts such immigrants, while skilled, struggled with the as the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagvad warm weather conditions of the West Indies and Gita . Indentured labourers also established a this resulted in a great demand for labourers temple against much opposition. There is even from India. Thus began the system of indentured a pilgrimage centre in the Caribbean islands labour. dedicated to Goddess Kali. A large number of people, mostly from the Answer the questions given below. agricultural and labour classes, migrated all the a. What gave birth to the system of indentured way, beyond the Cape of Good Hope, to America to work in sugar plantations in unsanitary and labour? inhuman conditions for paltry wages. Almost b. What is the unique feature of Caribbean half a million people, including a small section from the upper castes, migrated, an indication Hinduism? Explain. of the lack of opportunities in India then. While c. Under what conditions did the workers find many later returned to India, after serving the indentured period, a large proportion stayed themselves in the sugar plantations? back, establishing a new form of Hinduism that is d. Mention any two reasons why the Hindu still practised. A unique feature of Caribbean Hinduism is that community has become very strong in the it doesn’t have the caste system. People in this Caribbean. community came mostly from Bihar, the United Find words from the passage which mean the Provinces and the Madras Province, belonging same as the ones given below: to different castes. As they travelled in ships a. a system of ranking according to status or together and lived side by side, they could not authority [para 4] follow the rules of the traditional social hierarchy b. a part considered in comparative relation to a based on purity. There were very few women whole [para 3] among the migrants so it was not possible to c. bitterness or spitefulness [para 5] marry within a particular caste. Irrespective of d. a religious journey [para 6] their social status in India, they all did the same II. You are Anshuman/Anusha. Recently you kind of work there, so the caste barrier eventually purchased a washing machine from Khosla collapsed and they became a single homogenous Electronics. Within a span of one month, the community. However, there is a small section of washing machine developed faults. Write a people who call themselves Pandits and function letter to the Manager of Khosla Electronics as Brahmins. They see themselves as elite, focusing on the problem that you are facing. 15

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) yet too stem the ever-increasing girth of human kind [g] Grammar: what leader expert on portion control, describes [h] 1. Rearrange the jumbled words to form is not a diet but a practical approach to meaningful sentences. food and eating. a. watermelon/thirst quenchers/the/in summer/ one of the best/is 5. In the following passage one word has been b. around/is/it/ninety six countries/world/the/in/ omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. cultivated It is easy to go out devour junk food and [a] c. in Africa/ago/about 5000 years/first/it was/ alcohol. It is even easier to a cigarette thinking [b] grown that is the only way to your stress at bay. But, [c] d. say that/at the/it was grown/some what one is forgetting is the short-term perky [d] researchers/same time/in India feeling is the risk factor the fatal disease, cancer. [e] 2. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate options The choice of being sync with peers and wanting from those given in the brackets. [f] the cool lifestyle is of the prevailing reasons [g] An ATM is [a] _____ [a/an/the/it] simple machine for growing number of cancer cases in the city. [h] which [b] _____ [acted/acting/acts/is acted] as an extension of a bank even [c] _____ [as/when/ where/which] the bank is closed. The machine [d] _____ [was/is/has been/should be] usually placed [e] _____ [at/of/in/on] a small room with a security guard stationed outside. You can [f] _____ [withdrew/withdrawn/withdrawal/ withdraw] money from an account, deposit cheques, order [g] _____ [a/an/the] cheque book, get [h] _____ [my/our/someone’s/your] account statements etc. The ATMs work round the year 24 hours a day. 3. Read the given dialogue and complete the paragraph. Mike: W hat are you doing here in the library? I haven’t seen you since June. Liz: I have just come back from my holiday in Ireland. Mike: Did you enjoy it? Liz: I love Ireland. The Irish people are so friendly. Mike asked Liz [a] __________. He also added that [b] __________. Liz replied that [c] __________. Mike enquired [d] __________. Liz said that [e] __________ and that the [f] __________. 4. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. The latest data released with the Centers [a] for Disease Control and Prevention showing that [b] the weight of American men and women have [c] continued its downward climb, with the [d] average BMI now almost at the cut off on [e] obesity. Unlike the myriad diet fads those have [f] 16

5.1 The Hundred Dresses –I Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: “As for the girls,” she said, “although just one or two sketches were submitted by most, one girl — and Room Thirteen should be proud of her — this one girl actually drew one hundred designs — all different and all beautiful. In the opinion of the judges, every one of the drawings is worthy of winning the prize. I am very happy to say that Wanda Petronski is the winner of the girls’ medal. Unfortunately, Wanda has been absent from school for some days and is not here to receive the applause that is due for her. Let us hope she will be back tomorrow. Now class, you may file around the room quietly and look at her exquisite drawings.” I. Who speaks the given words and to whom? 2. Why had Wanda been absent for some days? 3. What was the class asked to do? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘approval expressed by clapping hands’ (a) medal (b) opinion (c) exquisite (d) applause. 17

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the passage carefully. Answer the questions given below. [discursive] a. Mention any two important traits of a leader. The most important trait of a leader is b. What are the obstacles to good authenticity and self- knowledge. As a leader you communication? need to be clear about your values and belief c. What is very important for a business leader and system. This self-knowledge is a compass to why? navigate complex situations. Secondly, in order d. Why is a family-run business prone to to lead, one should have clarity of vision and conflicts? the ability to communicate it. The obstacle to e. Which generation is the most vulnerable in a good communication is not the lack of verbal family-run business? skills alone. It is also the capacity to view one’s f. How can leaders inspire others to trust and targets and goals through a self-generated lens support them? that sees the world in their own terms. Each of g. Find a word from para 1 which means the us is informed differently and our view of the same as ‘plot a course’. world is seen through our own lens and that may h. Find a word from para 4 means the opposite of be opaque to someone else. A great example ‘ambiguity’. of seeing through a different lens can be found in a family with different generations. The third II. You are Vikas, the sports teacher of your trait for leadership is curiosity. Leadership is school. The sports items that you currently about change. The ability to respond to change have, have become old and are worn out. Write is particularly critical to business leaders as the a letter to the manager of Decathlon placing pace of innovation in business is very rapid. the order for new sports equipment. When it is a family running a business, family shareholders have to proactively learn best practices for sustaining a closely-held business over generations. The group must wrestle out issues together to arrive at a solution that is in line with the overall vision of the company to benefit the business and its shareholders. It is inevitable to have conflicts as members are from different backgrounds and different age groups. In a family-run business, most members are worried about transition. Generally it is seen that up to the third generation, there is a clear view of the founder of the business, his values. The next generation, following the third, is not only larger but more distanced from the company’s origins. Their challenges will include aligning with a smaller sub-set of the family members and balancing collective versus individual achievement. In conclusion, we can say that leaders start out with a vision. Having a vision to lead requires clarity of purpose and direction. Also, leaders need to have the ability to communicate and motivate people to work towards a vision. It is also important that they should inspire others to trust and support them. 18

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) Grammar: 1. Rearrange the jumbled words to form meaningful 5. In the following passage one word has been sentences. omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. a. Lalima/newborn/is/the/named/calf b. the world’s/cloned/she/calf/ first/is/buffalo Fitness is a serious passion actors and when [a] c. cell/donor/murrah/the/buffalo/taken/ear/from/ they sweat it for a role, the level of dedication [b] was/a/the/of can quite inspiring. Prateeksha is setting fitness[c] d. cloning/this/animal/is/in/a/breakthrough/ goals by taking aerial yoga. The actress says, [d] major “I have always a workout person and hitting [e] the gym me an adrenaline rush. I have barely [f] 2. Fill in the blanks with one word only. tried yoga and then, I introduced to aerial yoga.[g] At my new school I presented [a] _____ before the It is different regular yoga and challenging too. [h] Principal [b] _____ admission. She [c] _____ me a good look. Having been so [d] _____ without proper food [e] _____ bath and clean [f] _____ , I did not [g] _____ a good impression [h] _____ her. 3. Below you can see a set of instructions for polishing shoes. Complete the paragraph on the basis of the given information. • Dust the shoes with a cloth. • Apply polish with a brush. • Spread it over the surface evenly. • Polish the shoe in a to and fro motion. • Work wherever you have applied polish. • Continue till the shoe gives a shine. • Repeat this process with the other shoe. At first, the pair of shoe [a] ____ with a cloth. Polish [b] ____ with a brush. It [c] _____ over the surface. The shoe is polished in a to and fro motion, working wherever the polish [d] _____. This process [e] _____ till the shoe [f] _____. 4. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. Shashi Tharoor are a best- selling author [a] of eighteen books. And his literary ventures [b] begun long before the publication of [c] Reasons of State. His first publicity, [d] a short stories, came at the age of ten [e] in Bharat Jyoti, a Sunday supplement in ‘The Free Press’ Journal. While I was [f] still at school, a writer-in-making [g] was accustomed on seeing his name in print. [h] 19

6.1 The Hundred Dresses –II Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Now it was Christmas time and there was snow on the ground. Christmas bells and a small tree decorated the classroom. On the last day of school before the holidays, the teacher showed the class a letter she had received that morning. “You remember Wanda Petronski, the gifted little artist who won the drawing contest? Well, she has written me, and I am glad to know where she lives, because now I can send her medal. I want to read her letter to you.” The class sat up with a sudden interest and listened intently. 1. What was the reason for the upcoming holidays at school? 2. Who was this teacher? What did she show? 3. How did the class react to what the teacher was saying? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘born with a lot of natural ability or intelligence.’? (a) glad (b) intently (c) gifted (d) decorated. 6.2 Animals Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God 1. What does the word ‘They’ refer to? 2. What do they not do about their condition? 3. What gives the poet a sick feeling? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the extract means ‘grumble’? (a) condition (b) sins (c) whine (d) awake. 20

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Read the passage carefully. animals, arises from the fact that they have either [discursive] been proved useful or of no consequence. Either Every form of human activity upsets or changes way, from this, we have developed the idea of the wildlife complex of the area unceasingly and conservation which means preserving what we unavoidably. Man has destroyed many forms have left of our heritage of wildlife and even of wildlife for no reasonable purpose. Small finding room for rarities which may do a little sections of the community, for their own narrow damage on the side. and selfish ends, have destroyed many things Answer the questions given below. of general interest. Expediency has often led a. What has been man’s attitude to wildlife? man to make grave blunders in land use, habitat b. How is the justification given for the killing of destruction and the extermination of many forms of wildlife. wolves and wild boar in Britain? In his everyday life, man’s attitude is determined c. What errors has man made in his destruction by purely practical considerations; ethical or moral considerations come afterwards. Looked of predators? at in this way, the disappearance from Britain d. What is the idea of conservation of wildlife? of such animals as the wolf and wild boar can On the basis of your reading of the passage, fill be more easily understood. In our intensely cultivated and overpopulated country there in blanks with appropriate words /phrases. was no room for such large mammals, the one a a. The animals set aside by man for sports are predator of big livestock and the other a pest to agriculture. Thus, man’s first attitude to animals given special ___ . is the result of their effect on his own survival b. Until recent years, all predators were or what he considers to be their effect on his survival. destroyed as ‘vermin’ by ____. Then, there is his concern with sport. The animals Find words from the passage which mean the he sets aside for this purpose are given special same as the ones given below. protection and war is waged unceasingly on any a. pest [para 3] other creature that may be a danger to them. b. repercussion [para 4] This creates many problems and man has made II. Write a story in about 200 words based on the serious errors in his destruction of predators. given picture. Until recent years, all hawks and falcons were destroyed as ‘vermins’ by game preservers. This meant the destruction of kestrels, which are useful to the farmer: it meant the destruction of owls, which are useful to the farmer; so here you have sports acting against the interests of food production. The tragedy of all this is that all the killing of predators did not in any way improve man’s sport. It has been clearly shown by modern research that eagles, hawks, falcons and predatory mammals have not the slightest effect on the number of game birds anywhere. Broadly speaking, man wages war against the creatures which he considers harmful, even when his warfare makes little or no difference to the number of his enemies. And he encourages those creatures which are useful, even though their attacks on pests make little difference to the number of those pests. It would be true to say, therefore, that our attitude to song-birds, to most birds of prey and to many of our predatory 21

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) Grammar: 1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. 5. Rearrange the jumbled words to form Gamers [a] _____ deciphered the structure meaningful sentences. a. known as/is technically/body language/ [b] _____ an enzyme, of an AIDS-like virus, [c] kinesics _____ has eluded scientists for more [d] _____ b. to management/it is very/and leadership/ a decade. The gamers achieved the discovery relevant [e] _____ playing Foldit, an online game that c. your feelings and/language reveals/your own [f] _____ them to collaborate and compete [g] body/meanings to others _____ predicting the structure [h] _____ protein d. body language/to you/reveals/meanings/ molecule. other people’s/their feelings and 2. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks with the most suitable word. Mia may only be seven years old but the Lebanese youngster [a] _____ [knew/knows/know/ knowing] what she wants: a manicure [b] _____ [or/but/with/and] pedicure in purple, a golden star stenciled onto her hair, and a facial. While many [c] _____ [older/old/oldest/elderly] women struggle over what works best [d] _____ [on/at/ in/for] the complexion, to little Mia the answer [e] _____ [is/was/isn’t/wasn’t] simple chocolate. “It makes my skin soft”, she explains, as a beautician spreads the dark cream [f] _____ [in/for/over/ on] her face in the Spa-Tacular Salon, [g] _____ [a/the/some/an] professional beauty centre for children [h] _____ [at/in/near/before] Lebanon. 3. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. Unlike his competitors that tried out [a] difference dance forms, Marcus stuck to [b] different variations of popping which he was [c] been training in for five years all through the show. “I took class for two years and [d] after that I would practice on the streets [e] and watch videos”, he recalls. “His teacher told [f] me that he had not seen so dance moves [g] before”, he says still dazed of his good fortune. [h] 4. In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. It was fun galore the venue, as the city’s [a] youngsters showed off dance moves at the [b] silent disco section, while many showcased their inherent talent at art section. There [c] were also who made the most of the job [d] zone gave them the opportunity to interact [e] with industry professionals. For those love [f] snooker, there a giant foot snooker section,[g] where individuals got inside a life size snooker table tried to pocket the balls. [h] 22

7.1 Glimpses of India Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: We kids would be pushed aside with a mild rebuke and the loaves would be delivered to the servant. But we would not give up. We would climb a bench or the parapet and peep into the basket, somehow. I can still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. Loaves for the elders and bagels for the children. 1. Why would the kids be pushed aside? 2. What did the baker have for the kids and elders? 3. How did the kids peep into the baker’s basket? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘pleasant smell’? (a) fragrance (b) bangles (c) parapet (d) rebuke. Extract 2: Midway between Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore sits a piece of heaven that must have drifted from the kingdom of God. This land of rolling hills is inhabited by a proud race of martial men, beautiful women and wild creatures. Coorg or Kodagu, the smallest district of Karnataka is home to evergreen rainforests, spices and coffee plantations. Evergreen rainforests cover thirty percent of this district. During the monsoons, it pours enough to keep many visitors away. 1. What is referred to as ‘a piece of heaven’? 2. Where is it situated? 3. Is monsoon the peak tourist period of the place? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the pane means the same as ‘having to do with war’? (a) martial (b) coastal (c) wild (d) proud. Extract 3: ”We have an Indian legend too. Bodhidharma, an ancient Buddhist ascetic, cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditations. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. The leaves of these plants when put in hot water and drunk banished sleep. “Tea was first drunk in China,” Rajvir added, “as far as 2700 BC!”. 1. Who cut off his eyelids and why? 2. What grew out of the eyelids? What were they used for? 3. When was the first tea drunk in China? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘a story from the past that may or may not be true’ (a) meditations (b) legend (c) ascetic (d) ancient. 23

7.2 The Trees Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: My head is full of whispers which tomorrow will be silent. Listen. The glass is breaking. The trees are stumbling forward into the night. Winds rush to meet them, The moon is broken like a mirror, its pieces flash now in the crown of the tallest oak. 1. What is the poet’s head full of? 2. Explain ‘tomorrow will be silent’. 3. Why do you think ‘the glass is breaking’? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the extract means ‘a looking glass? (a) crown (b) mirror (c) whispers (d) winds. 24

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) to see reality and introspect without distortions. Two, the frugal and egalitarian life has its appeal. I. Read the passage carefully. [factual] In a stratified world, one’s destination, caste and class often define the terms on which one engages BOOT CAMP FOR THE MIND with the world. This was an equal place that didn’t For ten days, I disconnected from the world. No charge anyone for anything. At Vipassana, money phone, no internet and no TV. I observed complete could buy you nothing. Three, it helped me learn silence. Woke up at 4am, meditated for over nine a new meditation technique that has boosted my hours a day; ate frugal meals at odd hours – break- meditative rigour. I have now truly begun to feel fast at 6.30am, lunch at 11am and dinner at 5pm. meditation’s benefit on both body and mind – I slept in a barely 9ft x 4ft barrack-like cell. I had better focus, higher self-control and lower stress gone for a Vipassana workshop. I think it is the best levels. break I have given myself. [Source: The Economic Times Magazine; Author: The decision to go was not easy. I had a slew of Malini Goyal] valid reasons not to go, including my teenaged son Answer the questions given below. and work deadlines. Then in January 2019, a friend forwarded a link to the Vipassana centre at Sohna. a. What was the best break that the author Within days I registered and left for the programme. had given herself? Maybe the author Yuval Noah Harari should get some credit. Earlier that month, I had read about b. What were the reasons the author men- him and his annual retreat. Or, maybe, it had more tions, that made her decision to go diffi- to do with the stirrings inside me. Since some time cult? I had felt it simmer. Tell-tale signs were all over. My morning calls to my family had stopped or become c. State two reasons which made the author brief. My patience threshold had dipped. Noise decide to go for the camp. tolerance had plummeted. Once, at a food court in a mall, I thought the ambient chatter would drive d. How did the author try to get rid of the me crazy. I lost my cool with people honking on the disturbances around her? road or jumping queues. Gory tales of murder and rape in newspapers upset me disproportionately. e. What, according to the author, makes The aggressive posturing on news channels unset- Vipassana relevant in today’s digital world? tled me. The vitriol on social media was viscerally repulsive. f. State any two reasons which made the I tried all I could, deploying my own noise-can- author feel good at the Vipassana centre. cellation mechanisms. I stopped my cable TV subscription to avoid news channels. I mastered g. What is Vipassana? the art of skipping the 'City News' page. I avoided h. Find a word from para 5 which means the malls. But the escape seemed near impossible. Then suddenly, Vipassana offered me an escape. same as ‘self-analysis’. Think of Vipassana as a boot camp for the soul. A rehab centre to help recharge and rejuvenate II. Write a story in about 200 words based on the the mind. An executive education programme to given picture. update and upgrade mental skills. It’s where one goes to disconnect; to live optimally in a connected world. Life in the digital era suffers from a constant sensory onslaught. Vipassana offers a respite from the status-update treadmill. In the post-truth world where alternate reality is more than a phrase and human mind struggles to separate reality from perceptions, switching off external variables can bring some internal clarity in how one sees the world. This is why Vipassana – a meditation tech- nique believed to have been practised by Gautam Buddha 2500 years ago – holds relevance in today’s digital age. Why did I feel so good in that 10–day break? I have often asked this myself. Here are three broad reasons. Disconnecting from the outside world to connect with myself is perhaps the biggest one. Shorn of all distractions, Vipassana allows one 25

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) Grammar: 1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. 4. In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. At that moment the wind rose [a] _____ a gust. The liberated flames began [b] _____ race Many students would delighted to [a] towards the east. There were [c] _____ peasants’ have the World Cup huts near the oven [d] _____ were engulfed [e] in town, but Maria Cheremnova. _____ the fierce flames. Fed in this way, the blaze The 20-year-old physics [b] spread even further. Panditji’s barn was in [f] student is of the thousands _____ path and it pounced upon it. By now the campaigning against the [c] whole village was in a panic. They began to band soccer tournament, which is set together to [g] _____ out the fire but the sprinkle disrupt academic life [d] of water acted [h] _____ oil on it and the flames across the country. There will be a kept mounting higher. 25,000 capacity fan zone outside the main building Russia’s prestigious Moscow [e] 2. Read the given dialogues and complete the State University exam season. passage. In other cities exams [f] Ramdhan : I need ghee to make the offering. have brought forward and thousands Sohan : There’s no ghee in the house. of police are set [g] Ramdhan : Don’t say such things. God has given you to move the dorm zones. [h] so much. Sohan : I have no cows or buffaloes, so how can I 5. Rearrange the jumbled words to form meaning- have ghee? ful sentences. Ramdhan told Sohan [a] __________. Sohan said that [b] __________. Ramdhan advised Sohan [c] a. are/indian temples/of/a storehouse/indian art __________ and added that [d] __________. So- b. the temple architecture/form an//the han said that he had no cows or buffaloes and [e] __________. sculptures and paintings/essential part of c. engineering marvel/is both/the architecture/an artistic masterpiece/in some temples/and an 3. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. Sun bears, a smallest of the world’s eight bear species [a] is generally solitary animals, content to spend [b] many of their time alone outside mating season, [c] foraging for fruits, rodents, birds of insects in [d] southeast Asian tropical forest but, scientists said [e] they also possesses an unexpected social skill [f] that puts it in elite company alongside humans [g] and some of your close evolutionary cousins.[h] 26

8.1 Mijbil the Otter Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: I made a body-belt for him and took him on a lead to the bathroom, where for half an hour he went wild with joy in the water, plunging and rolling in it, shooting up and down the length of the bathtub underwater, and making enough slosh and splash for a hippo. 1. What did the author make and for what? 2. What happened in the bathroom? 3. What is a characteristic of otters? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: In the passage, which is the word that means ‘diving quickly’? (a) rolling (b) plunging (c) shooting (d) making. Extract 2: A suitcase that I had taken to Iraq had became damaged on the journey home, so that the lid, when closed, remained at a slope from one end to the Other. Mij discovered that if he placed the ball on the high end it would run down the length of the suitcase. 1. Where was the author travelling to? 2. What had happened to the suitcase? 3. What did Mij discover? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘side on which one end is higher than the other’? (a) high (b) journey (c) length (d) slope. 27

8.2 Fog Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbour and city on silent haunches and then moves on. Questions 1. Name the poem and the poet. 2. What is the fog compared to? 3. How does the fog come? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the poem means ‘a port for ships’? (a) fog (b) harbour (c) haunches (d) city. 28

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the passage carefully. [factual] ties are determined by one of the three qualities – inertia, activity or balance. He further says that As we grow older, we learn that we have little in human beings the quality of ‘balance or purity’ control on circumstances or people around us. dominates which is why humans are able to trust We learn that at the end of all knowledge is the and care for strangers. realization that we know nothing at all. We learn Lately, advances in neuroscience reveal the social that no matter what we have planned our lives, nature of the brain and also its plasticity – the circumstances overtake us and the life we live is ability to change with influence or with our own quite different from what we planned it to be. Are efforts. If we cannot change our qualities or our we then not in control of any aspect of our lives? lives, maybe we still can possibly shape our We have been brought up on the concept of indi- brains to create new habits and responses. vidualism as the ideal – the belief that we alone Answer the questions given below. are capable of controlling our minds, and respon- a. What do humans learn with the passage of sible for the decisions we take, thus directing the course of our lives. But could it be that these time? decisions are not fully under our control? In short, b. Mention the factors that influence the brain are we the active drivers or the passive observers of our lives? and the decisions that humans make. A sense of control is very reassuring. Humans c. The foundation of our sense of control and need to feel in control in order to feel secure. Rit- uals, social norms and values help give us a sense individuality is manipulated. Explain. of control. When there are rules, there is a need to d. Which quality, according to Devdutt Patanaik, keep people in check. And so, either someone as- sumes that control or cedes it to another, trusting is dominant in humans and how does it play and empowering another to do the needful. its part in shaping humans? A plethora of bestselling books in recent times Complete the statements. based on neuroscience research suggests that our decisions are neither the result of our free will, a. Humans need to ________________________ nor of rational, logical thinking. The premise is ____________. that humans are lazy, myopic and herd followers, and so our choices and decisions come mostly b. If we cannot change our qualities or our lives from learnt behavior or from societal influences. _______________________. Our brains and our decisions are influenced by our prejudices, emotions, learned behavior c. Find words from the passage which mean the and even by external circumstances as basic as same as : weather, people around us and what our senses are experiencing. d. give authority to do something [para 3]in a Choice, the big buzzword of our times – the gradual, subtle way [para 5] foundation of our sense of control and individ- uality – is manipulated all the time. We are so II. You are Saurav/Surabhi, a student of grade X. bombarded with choices, and yet insidiously You happen to see a lot of your friends dis- messages are relayed to influence our decisions. turbed by the constraints in the school, espe- So, a supermarket may give you multiple brands cially in the tenth grade. But you feel that these of shampoo, but keep within reach only the ones constraints enhance your performance. Write they wish to promote. an article on the topic ‘Right Constraints Boost Devdutt Patanaik, in his book My Gita, says that Performance’. we are all helpless with limited control over the world. We are not agents, but instruments of the world. Every organism’s capabilities and capaci- 29

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) Grammar: 1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. 4. In the following passage, one word has been The farmers, in the fruit farms,[a] _____ fruits omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. before they are fully ripe for otherwise they Once we had to the mountains. There was the [a] [b] _____ become overripe or decay [c] _____ green grass covered the slope all the way down[b] reaching the customers. Fruits picked too to house, and it looked amazing. He was delighted to[c] young [d] _____ not ripen. It is difficult to see that and it only helped increasing his love for [d] understand [e] _____ a fruit will ripen [f] _____ nature. He became extremely fond the grass. [e] not. Scientists [g] _____ developed a scanner [g] Often, he climb up the slope and roll down himself[f]and _____ can predict the ripening of the fruits. laugh out loud. 2. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks 5. Rearrange the jumbled words to form meaningful with the most suitable word. sentences. The sailor was a tall [a] _____ [or/but/and] strong man. He started [b] _____ [lift/lifted/lifting] the a. had died/an infant/sharon’s/when she/mother/ pole [c] _____ [among/along/on] with the boys. was Suddenly, the pole slipped out of [d] _____ [his/ their/our] hands. As it fell, it hit the sailor [e] b. somewhat/of it/her brother/unbalanced/the grief _____ [on/of/in] the head. The sailor fell down on the ground unconscious [f] _____ [by/with/ c. engineering/after a/to study/he went/england/off off] a big cut on his forehead. The boys thought to/few years [g] _____ [which/what/that] he was dead and ran away with fear. Narendra did not run [h] d. was raised/our house/his aunt/the boy/by/in _____. [away/on/of] 3. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. Nutrition and balanced diet is the modern[a] terminology we use on food habits. Many[b] people eat too much spicy foods and with a[c] lot of chilly. Too much of oil food and fried[d] food is other problem. The spice and oily[e] food forces us to take too much water where [f] eating food. But ideally we need not take [g] water at last one hour before having food. [h] 30

9.1 Madam Rides the Bus Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: The bus rolled on now cutting across a bare landscape, now rushing through a tiny hamlet or past an odd wayside shop. Sometimes, the bus seemed on the point of gobbling up another vehicle that was coming toward them or a pedestrian crossing the road. But lo! Somehow it passed on smoothly, leaving all obstacles safely behind. 1. Where was the bus going? 2. What seemed would happen if another vehicle came from the opposite side? 3. From whose point of view has the journey been described here? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word or phrase means “to eat fast and greedily”? (a) crossing (b) cutting across gobbling (d) leaving. Extract 2: The bus stopped and some new passengers got on, and the conductor got busy for a time. Afraid of losing her seat, Valli finally sat down. An elderly woman came and sat beside her. “Are you all alone, dear?” she asked Valli as the bus started again. Valli found the woman absolutely repulsive — such big holes she had in her ear lobes, and such ugly in them! 1. When did Valli sit down on her seat and why? 2. What did the elderly woman ask Valli? 3. Describe the elderly woman. 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘completely’? (a) ugly (b) elderly (c) finally (d) absolutely. 31

9.2 The Tale of Custard the Dragon Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound, And Mustard growled, and they all looked around. Meowch! cried Ink, and ooh! cried Belinda, For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda. Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right, And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright, His beard was black, one leg was wood; It was clear that the pirate meant no good. Questions 1. What sound did they hear? 2. What did the pirate have with him? 3. What was wrong with one leg? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: What is the meaning of ‘nasty’? (a) pleasant (b) unmerciful (c) cowardly (d) unpleasant. 32

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) a room with running temperature. He was just think- ing of getting back home, but once he recovered, the I. Read the passage carefully. [factual] roads did not allow him to go back home. Even when Pranaal Khatri was preparing for his class Answer the questions given below. 12 Chemistry exam, he had made a decision. He knew a. What did Pranaal Khatri decide to do when he had to take a path not tread often. He wanted to take a break from studies and travel, meet people he was preparing for his chemistry exam? and understand them, all by hitchhiking. b. Mention the vehicles on which he hitchhiked And that’s exactly what he did, after completing his exams. His journey as hitchhiker saw him hitching during his journey. rides on bullock carts, two wheelers, trucks and lux- c. What challenges, according to Khatri, does ury cars such as BMWs. Khatri was on his way to Yel- lapur in North Karnataka. At Yellapur, he planned to travel pose? interact with the Siddhi tribes to have a deeper un- d. How did Khatri fend for himself during his derstanding of their way of life. “Travel had three challenges – transportation, food journey? and accommodation and since I come from a middle e. What did travel mean to Pranaal? class family, I knew my parents would not give me f. What happened to Khatri while in Nepal? money,” he said. So how did he dodge the money is- g. Find a word from paragraph 1 which means sue? “During my journey, I never accepted money, nor did I ask people for food. I stayed on streets, camps, the same as ‘walk’. or at hostels – where I volunteered,” he said. h. Find a word from paragraph 5 which means His journey began in November 2017 from Rajasthan and he has travelled the whole of north India and the opposite of ‘ignored’. covered 21 states, and returned home after eight II. You have read an article in the newspaper months. He stayed home for less than a month and soon decided to travel to Mangalore to learn surfing. about an accident which claimed five precious He stayed at a surf club as a volunteer. lives. You are quite disturbed by what you Once he spent all the money that he had brought have read and decide to write a letter to the along with him from home, he decided to hit the editor of a newspaper about the poor condi- roads again. He felt that he had not explored enough tions of roads in your city. Write the letter as of South India and started his journey again and has Sanjay/Sanjana. travelled to Bangalore, Mysore, Hampi, Koppal and Gokarna. This time he reached out to the villages. 33 “It took me almost four months to convince my par- ents. For them there was pressure from the society. My parents felt that I would give up easily and return home soon,” he said. There were days when Pranaal covered about 400 km travelling or even walking for several kilometers. “This journey does not have a particular purpose, but it is about meeting new people and trying to inspire young minds. I was not great at academics and un- derstand very well what a student goes through when he fails. I learn from people and listen to their stories. During my first journey, I followed Google maps, but now I just go where my heart and mind take me,” he said. There have also been difficult moments for the teen. When he was in Nepal, he fell sick and a British nation- al looked after him. For three days, he was sleeping in

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) Grammar: 1. Expand the given newspaper headlines. 3. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each line. Edit the given paragraph. DIRECTOR TO GIVE MORE POWER TO UNIVERSITY CAMPUS People within high commitment and low compe- GUARDS tence [a] The Director has announced that the university are typically workaholics that work very hard. [b] guards ____________________ more power in the But they may not attain successful easily due to[c] coming days to ensure safety in the campus. lack on competence. These people need smart [d] STAR KID RECEIVES BEST DEBUT AWARD and efficiency training to promote their growth [e] The daughter of a well- known actor of yesteryears quickly. There low competence does not make [f] ____________________ at a function held in the city them shining stars and often these are used [g] last week. only to accomplish some routine but repetitive DOZENS INJURED AFTER EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTH jobs. [h] TURKEY. Turkish officials say dozens ____________________ 4. In the following passage one word has been after an earthquake hit South Turkey in the early omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. hours of the morning. Every human being conflicts while working [a] GIANT MOSQUTO FOUND IN CHINA with others these conflicts haunt us thereby [b] Chinese entomologists ____________________ a de-capacitating inherent values. These conflicts[c] giant mosquito with a wing span of 11.15cm in the are a constant source worry and should be [d] Sichuan province. removed failing they burn us. The primary source[e] 2. Fill in the blanks with the correct verb forms. of conflict is between ‘Who’s right’ and ‘What’s right. When Laura Martin [a] _____ [to be] just ten, she [b] These issues need to sorted out immediately _____ [to want] to be a dancer. She [c] _____ [to watch] before [f] TV one day when she [d] _____ [to see] Shiamak Dhavar they cause further confusion. dancing at an awards function. Since then she [e] _____ [always/to dream] of doing the same. Whenever there is 5. Rearrange the jumbled words to form mean- dance programme on TV, she [f] _____ [to stare] at the ingful sentences. television screen for hours and [g] _____ [to imagine] a. sedentary/habits/lifestyle/to/modern/has led herself dancing. At the moment, however, she [h] _____ b. identified/anthrax/researchers/ [to study] in class four. destroy/have/way to/a new c. large quantities/sweating/results in/drinking/warm water/of d. hardly/koalas are/ever/drink/ animals that/water 34

10.1 The Sermon at Benares Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished. And to herself, “HOW selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.” 1. Why was Kisa Gotami weary and hopeless? 2. What did she see sitting at the wayside? 3. What did Kisa Gotami come to realise? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means ‘stopped burning’? (a) surrendered (b) reigned (c) flickered (d) extinguished. Extract 2: “Mark! While relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortals are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So, the world is afflicted with death and decay. Therefore, the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world. Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. 1. What are mortals compared with? 2. What fact of life did the Buddha convey to Kisa Gotami? 3. When can you obtain peace of mind in this world? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the passage means the same as ‘Tilling of animals, etc.’? (a) decay (b) slaughter (c) obtain (d) suffer. 35

10.2 For Anne Gregory Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: But I can get a hair-dye And set such colour there, Brown, or black, or carrot, That young men in despair May love me for myself alone And not my yellow hair.” 1. Who is speaking these lines? 2. Why is the young man in despair? 3. What is the antonym of the word, ‘despair’? 4. Choose the correct option for the following: Which word in the extract means ‘a substance used for changing the colour of hair’? (a) colour (b) despair (c) carrot (d) hair-dye. 36