SUBHENDU SIR

CLASS 9 ENGLISH TEST

F.M. – 70 TIME – 1½ hrs.
NAME – DATE –
Section – A {Reading} [12 Marks]
1) Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: [1×12=12]
1. We have been brought up to fear insects. We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm
than good. Man continually wages war on them, because they contaminate his food, carry diseases or
devour his crops. They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer
nights or beat against our lighted windows. We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or
wasps but of quite harmless ones like moths. Reading about them increases our understanding without
dispelling our fears. Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organised society does nothing to
prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared
picnic lunch.

2. No matter how much we like honey or how much we have read about the uncanny sense of direction
which bees possess, we have a horror of being stung. Most of our fears are unreasonable but they are
difficult to erase. At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating, we enjoy reading about
them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives. We enjoy
staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence. Who has
not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home
an enormous dead beetle?

3. Last summer, I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize of
peach tree. The tree has grown against a warm well on a sheltered side of the house. I am especially
proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces
luscious peaches. During the summer I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither.
Clusters of tiny insects called aphis were to be found on the underside of the leaves. They were visited by
a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them. I immediately embarked on an
experiment which, even though it failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for twenty-four hours. I
bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphis. The tape
was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it. For a long time, I watched them scurrying around the base
of the tree in bewilderment. I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and
surprise) that the ants were still swarming around the sticky tape without being able to do anything about it.
I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair. Instead, I saw that they
had discovered a new route. They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the
tree. I then realised sadly that I had been completely defeated by their ingenuity. The ants had been quick
to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!

A) Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate options:

i) Insects are regarded unnecessary creatures because:
(a) we are afraid of them (b) they devour the crops
(c) they contaminate food (d) they do more harm than good.

ii) Ants were stopped at the base of the tree that

(a) they could scurry around in bewilderment
(b) they should not cross the tape
(c) they should not reach the aphis
(d) they should remain where they are
iii) Human beings get a feeling of __________ when they watch insects.
(a) fear (b) fascination (c) revulsion (d) All of these
iv) Knowing about the insects helps man
(a) to change his attitude towards insects (b) to increase his understanding
(c) to dispel his fears (d) to dispel his revulsion

v) The attitude of man towards insects as described in the passage is

(a) scientific (b) based on facts (c) unreasonable (d) one of fear and revulsion

vi) The phrase that has the same meaning as 'drive away' is:
(a) to prevent (b) difficult to erase (c) stood in awe (d) to get rid of

B) Answer the following questions:

i) We regard them as unnecessary __________ that do more harm than good.

ii) We live in a dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps but of quite harmless
ones like __________.

iii) Most of our tears are __________ but they are difficult to erase.

iv) The tree has grown against the warm well on a __________ side of the house.
v) During the summer I noticed that the leaves of The tree were beginning to ___________.

vi) I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the ____.

Section – B {Writing} [8 Marks]

2) You are facing a lot of traffic while commuting to school. Express your feelings in the form
of a descriptive paragraph.
In your description you can take the help of the following:

• The reason of traffic in the city

• The difficulties faced while commuting
• The measurements to be taken to reduce traffic

OR
Malini Nair is 12 years old and has a six-year-old brother, Mayank. After his several
requests, Malini agreed to take her brother to her friend's birthday party. To her
embarrassment, Mayank misbehaved a lot at the party. He spilled the cold drink on the
carpet and tried to unwrap the gifts kept on the table. As Malini, write a diary entry, recalling
the events at the birthday party.

Section – C {Grammar} [20 Marks]

3) Choose the correct option to complete the following sentences: [1×4=4]
i) Ravi met his old friend __________ a lawyer.
(a) whom is now (b) which is now (c) who is now (d) whose is now

ii) I am not interested in __________.

(a) how you pass or not (b) whether you pass or not
(c) just as your pass or not (d) after you pass or not

iii) Can your tell me __________ so rudely?

(a) how you behaved (b) that you behaved (c) why you behaved (d) which you behaved
iv) __________ late is certain.
(a) That he will be (b) When he will be (c) If he will be (d) Where he will be

4) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate options given below: [1×4=4]
The wedding procession was yet to start. It __(i)__ for us to reach. We __(ii)__ not to dance at all. But
when we __(iii)__ the scene, we __(iv)__ into it.
i) (a) has been waiting (b) was waiting (c) is waiting (d) had been waiting
ii) (a) decided (b) had decided (c) is deciding (d) will be decided
iii) (a) reached (b) reaches (c) is reaching (d) will be reaching
iv) (a) drew (b) draws (c) were drawn (d) is drawing

5) Fill in blanks with the appropriate option given below. [1×8=8]

Asaf Khan who __(a)__ the expedition against the city, __(b)__ that the little country which __(c)__ by
a woman would __(d)__ very easily without __(e)__ even a blow. It was to his surprise when he
__(f)__ that the city __(g)__ to offer a strong resistance. He __(h)__ with him only a small force to fight
the battle.
a) (i) had led (ii) led (iii) was leading (iv) has led
b) (i) expected (ii) has been expecting (iii) had expected (iv) was expected
c) (i) rule (ii) was ruled (iii) is ruled (iv) was ruling
d) (i) was taken (ii) be taken (iii) will be taken (iv) is taking
e) (i) striking (ii) is striking (iii) has been striking (iv) has struck
f) (i) found (ii) had found (iii) finds (iv) will find
g) (i) was preparing (ii) is preparing (iii) was prepared (iv) is prepared
h) (i) had brought (ii) brought (iii) has brought (iv) had been brought

6) Choose the correct option and rearrange the following words or phrases to make
meaningful sentences. [1×4=4]
a) had / winning a medal / he / my / I told him / until / about / known / not
(i) Until I told him he had not known about my winning a medal.
(ii) He had not known about my winning a medal until I told him.
(iii) About my winning a medal he had not known until I told him.
(iv) He had not known until I told him about my winning a medal.

b) on / my bicycle / to / go / I used to / my school

(i) I used to go to my school on my bicycle.
(ii) I used to go to my bicycle on my school.
(iii) I used to go on my bicycle on my school.
(iv) To my school, I used to go on my bicycle.

c) boy / each / was punished / of the class / yesterday

(i) Each boy was punished yesterday of the class.
(ii) Yesterday each of the boy class was punished.
(iii) Each boy of the class was punished yesterday.
(iv) Boy of the class each was punished yesterday.

d) how / you had / at the interview / done / us / let / know

(i) Let us know how you had done at the interview.
(ii) Let how you had done us know at the interview.
(iii) Let know us how you had done at the interview.
(iv) Let at the interview know us how you had done.
 Section – D {Literature} [30 Marks]
7) Reference to the Context:– [1×10=10]
A) Every tinkle on the shingles
Has an echo in the heart;
And a thousand dreamy fancies
Into busy being start,
And a thousand recollections
Weave their air-threads into woof,
As I listen to the patter
Of the rain upon the roof.
a) 'Every tinkle on the shingles' here refers to:
(i) every heartbeat (ii) every dream in mind
(iii) every raindrop falling on the rooftop (iv) every imagination of the world

b) The sound of the rain falling on the rooftop creates different __________ in poet's mind.

c) Busy being' here means __________.

d) As the poet listens to the patter of the rain upon the roof _________ come as dreams in his mind.
e) Which part of speech is 'patter'?
(i) Noun (ii) Adverb (iii) Adjective (iv) Conjunction

B) I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear the lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
a) The poet says that he will stand up and go to __________.
b) 'Night and day' here means:
(i) the whole night and the whole day (ii) dusk time (iii) only one day (iv) sometimes
c) The sound of __________ striking the shore always repeats in his mind.
(i) waves (ii) sea waters (iii) tides (iv) lake waters

d) Whether the poet is standing on the roadway or on the grey-coloured pavements, he hears the
sound in the deep __________.

e) Which of the following is similar in meaning to 'shore'?

(i) Middle (ii) Bank (iii) Centre (iv) Interior

8) Short Answer Type Questions:– [3×5=15]

a) What did the doctor think when the snake was looking into the mirror?
b) How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs sympathy?
c) 'If you work hard and know where you are going, you'll get there,' says Evelyn Glennie. How
far is this statement true in the case of both the musicians - Evelyn Glennie and Ustad
Bismillah Khan?
d) In what way was Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?
e) What are the Guru's words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?

9) Long Answer Type Questions:– [1×5=5]

a) Why does the world remember Einstein as a 'world citizen'?
 ANSWERS
1) A) i) (d) they do more harm than good B) i) creatures
ii) (c) they should not reach the aphis ii) moths
iii) (d) All of these iii) unreasonable
iv) (b) to increase his understanding iv) sheltered
v) (d) one of fear and revulsion v) wither
vi) (d) to get rid of vi) aphis

2) Traffic in My City
I live in Pune and the traffic in my city is getting worse day by day. I find it very difficult to go to school
and come back. The buses are crowded and there are frequent traffic jams. The major reason is that
now almost all the middle class families own a car or a bike. When all these vehicles come on road
there is congestion. My school is just ten kilometres away from my house, but still I take almost forty
five minutes to reach there. The traffic police are doing their best to control the rush but at times they
fail miserably. They alone can't be blamed for this. Reckless driving by people also causes traffic jams
and at times the traffic signals in junctions fail to do their job. I think the police and the people should
work together to find a solution to this problem. It will be better if we could use more of public transport
rather than personal vehicles for travelling. It is high time that we acted upon these issues.
OR
Monday, 2 August 20XX
10:15 p.m.
Dear Diary,
Today was one of the worst days of my life. Never have I been as embarrassed as I was today. I never
wanted to take Mayank with me. But he threw a tantrum and my parents never seem to say no to him.
It was my friend's party and instead of enjoying myself with my friends, I was left to babysit him. And
he didn't even try to behave nicely. First he spilled a glass of orange squash on Gupta aunty's new
carpet. If that wasn't bad enough, he then started opening the gifts that people had brought for Rahul.
After that, I couldn't stay at the party and walked back home. Mayank didn't even realise what he'd
done, and even my mother didn't say anything to him. All my classmates were there at the party and
they all saw my brother making a fool of himself. How will I ever face them all again?
I'm so distraught!
Malini
3) i) (c) who is now 4) i) (d) had been waiting
ii) (b) whether you pass or not ii) (b) had decided
iii) (c) why you behaved iii) (a) reached
iv) (a) That he will be iv) (c) were drawn

5) a) (ii) led e) (i) striking

b) (iii) had expected f) (i) found
c) (ii) was ruled g) (iii) was prepared
d) (ii) be taken h) (i) had brought
6) a) (ii) He had not known about my winning a medal until I told him.
b) (i) I used to go to my school on my bicycle.
c) (iii) Each boy of the class was punished yesterday.
d) (i) Let us know how you had done at the interview.

7) A) a) (iii) every raindrop falling on the rooftop

b) dreams
c) human beings
d) past memories
e) (i) Noun
B) a) 'Innisfree'
b) (i) the whole night and the whole day
c) (iv) lake waters
d) heart's core
e) (ii) Bank

8) a) The doctor thought that the snake was admiring its beauty. He thought that if it was a male snake
then, he might be thinking of growing a moustache. If it was a female then, it might be thinking
about using eye shadow, mascara or to wear a bindi on her forehead.
b) One night Kezia was alone in her bed. Her mother and grandmother had gone to the hospital.
Kezia had a nightmare. She cried out a loud. Her father heard her cry. He went to her bedroom
and carried her to his bed. He tucked her up. He asked her to rub her feet against his legs to get
them warm. Tired out, he slept before the little girl.
A funny feeling came over Kezia. She thought that there was no one to look after her father.
Every day he had to work hard and was too tired to be a Mr. Macdonald.
She feels that his heart is very big. He has a lot of love for her but does not expresses himself.
She begins to feel that he is a human being who needs her sympathy.
c) If you work hard and know where you are going, you will get there. This is true in the case of
both the musicians, viz., Evelyn Glennie and Bismillah Khan.
Evelyn was profoundly deaf at the age of eleven. But she was determined to lead a normal life
and pursue her interest in music. Percussionist Ron Forbes helped her in her pursuit. She got on
top by sheer determination and hard work. She brought percussion to the fore front of the
orchestra.
As a five-year old, Bismillah Khan played gulli-danda in Dumraon. Then he came to Banaras. His
maternal uncle Ali Bux taught him to play the shehnai. Bismillah would sit practising throughout
the day. He would practise hard in solitude. He brought shehnai onto the classical stage.
Thus, we see the statement to be true in the case of both the musicians.
d) Iswaran was Mahendra's cook. He was quite attached to Mahendra and followed him without
any complaint to wherever he was posted. He cooked for Mahendra, washed his clothes and
chatted away with him at night. He had an amazing capacity to produce vegetables and cooking
ingredients, seemingly out of nowhere and could miraculously conjure up the most delicious
dishes made with fresh vegetables within an hour of arriving at the new workplace. Thus,
Iswaran was an asset to Mahendra.
 e) The guru on realising that this is a Kingdom of Fools said to his disciple, “This is no place for us.
Let's go." "They are all fools. This won't last very long and you can't tell what they'll do to you
next."
The disciple remembers his guru's words when he is taken for execution merely because he
was fat and could be properly executed on the stake.

9) a) Einstein disliked the authoritarian order of the world. When the Nazis came to power in Germany,
Einstein emigrated to the United States. When the Americans dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in August 1945, Einstein was deeply shaken by the extent of the destruction. He
wrote a public missive to the United Nations proposing the formation of a world government. He
launched an agitation to bring an end to arms buildup. He campaigned for peace and democracy.
So, when Einstein died in 1955, he was celebrated as a 'World Citizen'.