REFERENCE TO CONTEXT TYPE QUESTIONS:
1. Read the following extract
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster,
experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed a good deed, looked on
from his office. Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his
confidence – but he became angry when he counted the money.
(a) Why was the postmaster contented? 1
Answer: The postmaster was contented
because he had performed a good deed.
(b) Why was Lencho not surprised on seeing the
money? 1
Answer: He had a firm belief in God.
(c) Why did Lencho become angry? 1
Answer: Lencho became angry because he did not
get the money he requested for.
(d) How much money did Lencho ask for? 1
Answer: Lencho requested for one hundred
pesos.
2. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
With a satisfied expression, he regarded the field of ripe corn with its
flowers, draped in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow
and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did
resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out
to collect the frozen pearls.
(a) Why did Lencho look satisfied? 1
Answer: His crop was ripe.
(b) What are ‘frozen pearls’ referred to here? 1
Answer: Hailstones.
(c) Why did the expression of Lencho change? 1
Answer: His expression changed because suddenly
large hailstones began to fall. It was not good for his crop.
(d) Why did the children run out? 1
Answer: The children ran out to collect
the hailstones.
3. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
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.
(a) Why did Lencho need paper and ink? 1
Answer: Lencho needed paper and ink to write a
letter to God.
(b) Why was Lencho angry? 1
Answer: Lencho was angry because he had not
received the full amount of money sent by God.
(c) Why did Lencho want to write another letter? 1
Answer: Lencho did not receive the full amount
of money. Therefore, he wanted to inform God about it.
(d) Which line/lines show that Lencho was angry
while writing the letter? 1
Answer: ‘Wrinkling of his brow’, and ‘blow of
his fist’ are the phrases that show that Lencho was angry.
4. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Never in his career as a postman had he known that address. The postmaster—a
fat, amiable fellow—also broke out laughing, but almost immediately he turned
serious and, tapping the letter on his desk, commented, “What faith! I wish I
had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting up a correspondence with
God!”
So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up
with an idea: answer the letter.
(a) Why had the postman never known that address? 1
Answer: Nobody had written a letter to God
before.
(b) What does ‘not to shake the writer’s faith’
refer to? 1
Answer: Faith of Lencho in God should not be
shaken.
(c) Why did the postmaster laugh? 1
Answer: The postmaster broke out laughing
because he had never seen such correspondence with God in his career.
(d) What did the postmaster decide? 1
Answer: The postmaster decided to answer the
letter.
5. Read the following extract
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a shower. Throughout
the morning, Lencho—who knew his fields intimately—had done nothing else but
see the sky towards the north-east. “Now we’re really going to get some water,
woman.” The woman, who was preparing supper, replied, “Yes, God willing.” The
older boys were working in the field, while the smaller ones were playing near
the house until the woman called to them all, “Come for dinner.”
(a) Why was Lencho seeing the sky towards the
north-east? 1
Answer: He was waiting for the rain.
(b) What were the younger boys doing? 1
Answer: They were playing.
(c) What did Lencho’s field need? 1
Answer: Lencho’s field needed water.
(d) What was the woman doing?
Answer: The woman was preparing dinner.
6. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
One of the employees, who was a postman and also helped at the post office,
went to his boss laughing heartily and showed him the letter to God. Never in
his career as a postman had he known that address. The postmaster – a fat,
amiable fellow – also broke out laughing, but almost immediately he turned
serious and, tapping the letter on his desk, commented, “What faith! I wish I
had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting up a correspondence with God!”
(a) Why was the postman laughing? 1
Answer: They had never seen a letter addressed
to God before.
(b) What address was written on the letter? 1
Answer: To God.
(c) Why was there a change in postmaster’s reaction? 1
Answer: The postmaster was moved by the faith
of the writer in God.
(d) What did the postmaster wish? 1
Answer: The postmaster wished that he also had
the faith of the man in God.
7. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up
with an idea: answer the letter. But when he opened it, it was evident that to
answer it he needed something more than goodwill, ink and paper. But he stuck
to his resolution: he asked for money from his employees, he gave a
part of his salary and several friends of his
were obliged to give something ‘for an act of
charity’.
(a) How did the postmaster decide to respond? 1
Answer: The postmaster decided to respond by
sending him some money.
(b) Why did the postmaster decide to answer the
letter? 1
Answer: The postmaster decided to answer the
letter because he did not want to shake the faith of the writer in God.
(c) What did
the postman needs to respond to the letter?
1
Answer: The postmaster needed money.
(d) How did he manage money for the writer of the
letter? 1
Answer: He gave part of his salary and asked
his friends to contribute in that act of charity.
8. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
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.
(a) Why did Lencho write a letter? 1
Answer: Lencho wrote a letter to God asking
for the rest of the money, i.e. thirty pesos from God.
(b) To whom did he write the letter? 1
Answer: He wrote the letter to God.
(c) Which word/phrase in the extract shows that
Lencho was angry? 1
Answer: ‘Wrinkling of his brow’.
(d) What did Lencho write in his second letter? 1
Answer: Lencho wrote that the post office employees were a bunch of crooks who had stolen his money sent by God.
9. Read the following extract
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The moment the letter fell into the mailbox, the postmaster went to open it. It
said, “God: of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send
me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send it to me through the
mail, because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.”
(a) Why did the postmaster open the letter immediately? 1
Answer: The postmaster was curious to know
what Lencho had written, so he opened the envelope immediately.
(b) What did he expect in the letter? 1
Answer: He expected that Lencho would thank
them for their help.
(c) Find out the word/phrase from the passage which means the same as dishonest
people. 1
Answer: A bunch of crooks.
(d) Why did Lencho ask God not to send money through the mail? 1
Answer: Lencho thought that the employees of the post office were not honest. So he asked God not to send money through the mail.
10. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God,
whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in
one’s conscience.
(a) What was his only hope? 1
Answer: His only hope was help from God.
(b) What did he do to seek God’s help? 1
Answer: He wrote a letter to God for his help.
(c) Give a word from the passage which means inner
voice here. 1
Answer: Conscience.
(d) What was Lencho instructed? 1
Answer: Lencho was always instructed that God always helps in need.
11. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still, he
knew how to write. The following Sunday, at daybreak, he began to write a
letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the mail. It was
nothing less than a letter to God. “God,” he wrote, “If you don’t help me, my family and I will go
hungry this year.”
(a) What kind of a person was Lencho? 1
Answer: Lencho was a hardworking person.
(b) Why did he write a letter to God? 1
Answer: He wrote a letter to God for financial
help.
(c) Pick out the phrase from the passage which means
the same as hard working. 1
Answer: Ox of a man, working like an animal in
the field.
(d) What did he write in his letter? 1
Answer: He pleaded that if God did not help
him his family would go hungry.
12. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
It said: “God! Of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me.
Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send it to me through
the mail, because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks.
Lencho.”
(a) Who wrote the letter and why? 1
Answer: Lencho wrote a letter to God to
complain about the post office employees.
(b) Why was the postmaster eager to open the
mailbox? 1
Answer: He wanted to know the reactions of
Lencho. So, he was eager to open the mailbox.
(c) What complain did Lencho have? 1
Answer: Lencho complained that he did not
receive the full amount of money he requested for only seventy pesos reached him.
(d) Where, according to Lencho, had the balance
money gone? 1
Answer: According to Lencho, the remaining
thirty pesos were stolen by the post office employees and God could not make
such a mistake.
13. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long,
must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.
We, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil. We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.
(a) What is the extraordinary human disaster that
Mandela refers to? 1
Answer: Policy of Apartheid.
(b) Why did the speaker call it a common victory? 1
Answer: Because it was a victory for peace,
justice and human dignity.
(c) What did the writer wish to have? 1
Answer: The writer wished to have a society
which all humanity will be proud of.
(d) Why did the writer thank the guests? 1
Answer: The writer thanked all the
international guests for their support and gesture for their victory over
apartheid.
14. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The inauguration would be the largest gathering ever of international leaders
on South African soil.
The ceremonies took place in the lovely sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria. For decades this had been the seat of the white supremacy, and now it was the site of a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations for the installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government.
(a) Where did the ceremonies take place? 1
Answer: In a lovely amphitheatre in Pretoria.
(b) Why did he call the gathering of international
leaders as a rainbow gathering? 1
Answer: Because people from different nations
and of different colours had gathered there.
(c) What was the occasion? 1
Answer: It was the installation of South
Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government.
(d) What does ‘white supremacy’ refer to? 1
Answer: White supremacy’ refers to the
government of Whites who ruled over following the policy of Apartheid.
15. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
I was not born with a hunger to be free. I was born free—free in every way that
I could know. Free to run in the fields near my mother’s hut, free to swim in
the clear stream that ran through my village, free to roast mealies under the
stars and ride the broad backs of slow-moving bulls. As long as I obeyed my
father and abided by the customs of my tribe, I was not troubled by the laws of man or God.
(a) “I was born free in every way.” Explain. 1
Answer: It means that Nelson Mandela was born
free in every way. He ran, ate and swam the way he wanted. He was not a slave
to anyone.
(b) Why was the speaker not troubled by the laws of
man or God? 1
Answer: He was a child and was not forced to
follow or obey any law of man or God.
(c) When did Nelson Mandela feel troubled? 1
Answer: Nelson Mandela felt troubled when his
freedom was taken away from him by the existing system.
(d) How long was he happy? 1
Answer: So long as he obeyed his father and
abided by the customs of his tribes he was happy.
16. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when
I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me,
that I began to hunger for it. At first, as a student. I wanted freedom only
for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read
what I pleased and go where I chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I
yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms of achieving my potential, of
earning my keep, of marrying and having a family – the freedom not to be obstructed in a lawful life.
(a) What did the narrator yearn for freedom as a
young man? 1
Answer: To marry and have his own family with
him.
(b) What did Nelson want freedom for as a
student? 1
Answer: As a student, he wanted freedom for
himself. Freedom of being able to stay out at night.
(c) When did Nelson Mandela feel hunger for
freedom? 1
Answer: When Nelson Mandela felt that his
freedom was an illusion and it was taken away from him, he felt the hunger for
it.
(d) What kind of freedom did he want? 1
Answer: He wanted freedom not to be obstructed
in a lawful life.
17. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who
conquers that fear.
No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
(a) What is courage according to Mandela? 1
Answer: According to Mandela, courage is the
triumph over the fear.
(b) Why does the speaker say that people must learn
to hate? 1
Answer: Because hatred is not innate; no one
starts hating anyone from birth.
(c) Who is a brave man? 1
Answer: The brave man is the one who conquers
fear.
(d) What does the writer think about love? 1
Answer: According to the writer, love comes
more naturally to the human heart than hate.
18. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Even in the grimmest times in prison, when my comrades and I were pushed to our
limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, perhaps just
for a second, but it was enough to reassure me and keep me going. Man’s
goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.
(a) What does Nelson Mandela say about humanity and
goodness? 1
Answer: Man’s goodness is a flame that can be
hidden but never extinguished.
(b) Which was the grimmest time for him? 1
Answer: The days he passed in the prison were
the grimmest time for him.
(c) Where did Nelson Mandela see a glimmer of
humanity? 1
Answer: Nelson Mandela saw a glimmer of
humanity in one of the guards in the prison.
(d) What did Nelson Mandela wish for? 1
Answer: Nelson Mandela wished to have a society where all were equal.
19. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
But then I slowly saw that not only was I not free, but my brothers and sisters
were 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.
(a) What did Nelson realise? 1
Answer: Nelson Mandela realised that the
freedom of all his brothers and sisters was curtailed.
(b) How did his hunger for freedom change? 1
Answer: When he realised that his people were
not free, his hunger for freedom for them increased.
(c) What did Nelson Mandela slowly realise? 1
Answer: Nelson Mandela realised that the
people of his community were not free. Their freedom was curtailed.
(d) How did this realisation change his life? 1
Answer: He joined the African National
Congress and struggled for the freedom of his people.
20. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
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.
(a) What transformed a frightened man into a bold
one? 1
Answer: The desire for freedom for his people
transformed a frightened man into a bold one.
(b) What was his desire? 1
Answer: He wanted his people to live a life of
dignity and self-respect.
(c) What forced a law-abiding attorney to become a
criminal? 1
Answer: His desire for freedom of his people
forced him to become a criminal.
(d) What changes came in his life? 1
Answer: His struggle for freedom of his people
turned a family loving man into a man without a home.
21. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
I am no more virtuous or self-sacrificing than the next man, but I found that I
could not even enjoy the poor and limited freedoms I was allowed when I knew my
people were not free. Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people
were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on
me.
(a) Why could the speaker not enjoy his
freedom? 1
Answer: He could not enjoy freedom for himself
because his people were still not free. It was poor and limited freedom.
(b) According to the speaker, how is freedom
indivisible? 1
Answer: Freedom is indivisible. If even a
single person is not free, all are chained.
(c) Why could he not enjoy his freedom? 1
Answer: He could not enjoy his limited freedom
because his people were not free.
(d) How, according to the writer, does chain on
freedom affect everyone? 1
Answer: According to the writer, the chain on
one’s freedom is the chain on the freedom of all.
22. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
On the day of the inauguration, I was overwhelmed with a sense of history. In
the first decade of the twentieth century, a few years after the bitter
Anglo-Boer war and before my own birth, the white-skinned peoples of South
Africa patched up their differences and erected a system of racial domination
against the dark-skinned peoples of their own land.
(a) What was the occasion? 1
Answer: It was the inauguration day.
(b) What happened after the Anglo-Boer war? 1
Answer: The white peoples of South Africa
patched up their differences and erected a system of racial domination against
the black peoples.
(c) Why was it a special day? 1
Answer: It was a special day for them because
an era of apartheid had come to an end.
(d) What was being inaugurated? 1
Answer: It was the installation of a
democratic non-racial government.
23. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The structure they created formed the basis of one of the harshest, most
inhumane societies the world has ever known. Now, in the last decade of the
twentieth-century, and my own eighth decade as a man, that system had been
overturned forever and replaced by one that recognised the rights and freedoms
of all peoples, regardless of the colour of their skin.
(a) What do ‘they’ here refer to? 1
Answer: The Whites.
(b) Why does the narrator call it the most inhumane
society? 1
Answer: Because the whites ill-treated the
black people who were in the majority.
(c) What was the structure of the government formed
by the Whites? 1
Answer: It was the harshest and non-democratic
society.
(d) What was good about the new government? 1
Answer: It was democratic and recognised the
rights and freedom of all the people.
24. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
A few moments later we all lifted our eyes in awe as a spectacular array of
South African jets, helicopters and troop carriers roared in perfect formation
over the Union Buildings. It was not only a display of pinpoint precision and a military force but a demonstration of the military’s loyalty to democracy, to
a new government that had been freely and fairly elected.
(a) Who are ‘we’ here? 1
Answer: ‘We’ here is the people of South
Africa.
(b) What was the significance of the event? 1
Answer: It was a demonstration of the
military’s loyalty to democracy.
(c) What was the occasion? 1
Answer: It was the installation of the new government in South Africa.
(d) What was good about the new government? 1
Answer: It was a freely and fairly elected
government.
25. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Only moments before, the highest generals of the South African defence force
and police, their chests bedecked with ribbons and medals from days gone by,
saluted me and pledged their loyalty. I was not unmindful of the fact that not
so many years before they would not have saluted but arrested me. Finally, a chevron
of Impala jets left a smoke trail of the black, red, green, blue and gold of the new South
African flag.
(a) What did the salute of the Generals signify? 1
Answer: It signified the loyalty to democracy
and recognition of the newly elected government.
(b) “I was not unmindful of the fact....”. What was
the fact? 1
Answer: The fact was the old system of
governance. He would have been arrested by the generals in the old system.
(c) What did the generals do? 1
Answer: They saluted Nelson Mandela and
displayed their loyalty.
(d) What was the final display? 1
Answer: Finally, a chevron of Impala jets left
a smoke trail of the black, red, green, blue and gold of the new South African
flag.
26. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The day was symbolised for me by the playing of our two national anthems, and
the vision of whites singing ‘Nkosi Sikelel - iAfrika’ and blacks singing ‘Die
Stem’, the old anthem of the Republic. Although that day neither group knew the
lyrics of the anthem they once despised, they would soon know the words by
heart.
(a) What was the occasion here? 1
Answer: Day of freedom.
(b) Why did the group not know the lyrics of the old
anthem? 1
Answer: Because they were not used to sing the
old anthem.
(c) Which word in the passage is the antonym of
Liked? 1
Answer: Despised.
(d) Why was the day special? 1
Answer: It was a special day because a long
era of suppression had come to an end.
27. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Tenth May dawned bright and clear. For the past few days, I had been pleasantly
besieged by dignitaries and world leaders who were coming to pay their respects
before the inauguration. The inauguration would be the largest gathering ever
of international leaders on South African soil.
(a)
What was the significance of 10th May?
1
Answer: It was the day of the inauguration, the beginning of a new era.
(b)
Why had the dignitaries and the world leaders gathered there? 1
Answer: To show their solidarity with the newly elected government.
(c)
Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as land. 1
Answer: Soil.
(d)
What was the gathering for? 1
Answer: It was the occasion of the installation of a democratic,
non-racial government in South Africa.
28. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The ceremonies took place in the lovely sandstone amphitheatre formed by the
Union Buildings in Pretoria. For decades this had been the seat of White
supremacy, and now it was the site of a rainbow gathering of different colours
and nations for the installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial
government.
(a) What does rainbow gathering refer to here? 1
Answer: It refers to the dignitaries from
different states of the world.
(b) Who are the dignitaries referred to here? 1
Answer: They are the heads of different
countries.
(c) Where did the ceremony take place? 1
Answer: It took place in the lovely sandstone
amphitheatre in Pretoria.
(d) What was the gathering for? 1
Answer: It was an occasion of the installation
of the first democratic non-racial government in South Africa.
29. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Today, all of us do, by our presence here… confer glory and hope to newborn
liberty. Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted
too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.
Answer: Nelson Mandela.
(b) What does ‘human disaster’ refer to? 1
Answer: Slavery.
(c) Pick out the word from the passage that means
the same as remained. 1
Answer: Lasted.
(d) How was it a special day in the country? 1
Answer: It was an end of the suppressed era of
torture and inhumanity. A new era of humanity has begun.
30. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
We who were outlaws not so long ago have today been given the rare privilege
to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil. We thank all of our
distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the
people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for
peace, for human dignity. We have at last achieved our political emancipation.
(a) Who are ‘we’ here? 1
Answer: It was a common victory for justice,
for peace, for human dignity.
31. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Coorgi homes have a tradition of hospitality, and they are more than willing to
recount numerous tales of valour related to their sons and fathers. The Coorg
Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army, and the first Chief
of the Indian Army, General Cariappa, was a Coorgi. Even now, Kodavus are the
only people in India permitted to carry firearms without a licence.
(a) What are the tales that the Coorgi people are
always ready to tell? 1
Answer: The Coorgi people are always ready to
tell the tales of bravery.
(b) What is the special favour granted only to them
even now? 1
Answer: Kodavus are the only people in India who
are allowed to carry firearms without a licence.
(c) Find a word from the passage which means the same as ‘courage and bravery’, usually in war.
1
Answer: Valour.
(d) What was the tradition of Coorgi homes? 1
Answer: Coorgi homes had a tradition of
hospitability.
32. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
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.
(a) What is the location of Coorg? 1
Answer: It is located between Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore.
(b) Who are the inhabitants of Coorg? 1
Answer: Kodavus, the proud race of martial
men, beautiful women and wild creatures are the inhabitants of Coorg.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘blown’. 1
Answer: Drift.
(d) Who inhibits the rolling hills? 1
Answer: The rolling land is inhibited by a proud race of martial men, beautiful women and wild creatures.
33. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Coorg, or Kodagu, the smallest district of Karnataka, is home to evergreen
rainforests, spices and coffee plantations. Evergreen rainforests cover thirty
per cent of this district. During the monsoons, it pours enough to keep many
visitors away. The season of joy commences from September and continues till March.
(a) What makes the district attractive to the
visitors? 1
Answer: Evergreen rainforests, spices and
coffee plantations make the district attractive for the visitors.
(b) What is the best season of joy in Coorg? 1
Answer: The best season of joy is from
September to March.
(c) Pick out one word from the passage that means
the same as ‘begins’. 1
Answer: Commences.
(d) Why do the visitors not visit Coorg during Monsoon? 1
Answer: Due to rain the place becomes
unattractive for the visitors. So they stay away.
34. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The weather is perfect, with some showers thrown in for good measure. The air
breathes of invigorating coffee. Coffee estates and colonial bungalows stand
tucked under tree canopies in prime corners.
(a) Which city is being described here? 1
Answer: Coorg.
(b) What makes the weather perfect? 1
Answer: Showers and invigorating coffee make
the weather perfect.
(c) Which word in the passage stands for ‘light
rain’? 1
Answer: Shower.
(d) Which season is the best for visitors? 1
Answer: The season of joy, i.e. autumn and
winter is the best for visitors.
35. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The most laidback individuals become converts to the life of high-energy
adventure with river rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing and mountain
biking. Numerous walking trails in this region are a favourite with
trekkers.
(a) What makes the laidback individuals active and
full of energy? 1
Answer: Various water games like a river
rafting, boating, canoeing, mountain biking make the laidback individuals
active and energetic.
(b) Why do the trekkers like the place? 1
Answer: There are numerous walking trails in
this region which are liked by the trekkers.
(c) Which word in the extract stands for ‘lazy’? 1
Answer: Laidback.
(d) What are the games/sports open for the visitors
in Coorg? 1
Answer: River rafting, canoeing, rappelling,
rock climbing and mountain biking.
36. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Birds, bees and butterflies are there to give you company. Macaques, Malabar
squirrels, langurs and slender loris keep a watchful eye from the tree canopy.
I do, however, prefer to step aside for wild elephants.
(a) Which place is under reference? 1
Answer: Coorg.
(b) Who gives the company to the visitors? 1
Answer: Birds, bees and butterflies give the
visitors a good company.
(c) Which word in the extract is the opposite of
‘domestic’? 1
Answer: Wild.
(d) What does the writer prefer? 1
Answer: The writer prefers to step aside for
wild elephants.
37. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
They sipped the steaming hot liquid. Almost everyone in their compartment was
drinking tea too. “Do you know that over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk
every day throughout the world?” Rajvir said. “Whew!” exclaimed Pranjol. “Tea really is very popular.” The train pulled out of the station. Pranjol buried his nose in his detective
book again.
(a) Who are ‘They’ referred to here? Where are they
going? 1
Answer: Rajvir and Pranjol are ‘They’ here.
They are going to Assam.
(b) What did Pranjol do after the train started to
move? 1
Answer: He started to read his detective book.
(c) Which word in the passage means the same as
‘drank very small quantity at a time’? 1
Answer: Sipped.
(d) How do you know that tea is very popular? 1
Answer: Over eighty crore cups of tea are
drunk every day throughout the world.
38. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
“Oh, this is tea country now,” he said. “Assam has the largest concentration of
plantations in the
world. You will see enough gardens to last you a lifetime!”
“I have been reading as much as I could about tea,” Rajvir said. “No one really
knows who
discovered tea but there are many legends.”
“What legends?”
(a) What does the speaker tell us about Assam? 1
Answer: Assam has the largest concentration of
plantations in the world. It is the ‘tea country’ of India.
(b) Why is the speaker reading so much about tea? 1
Answer: He wants to find out about the origin
of tea.
(c) Pick out one word from the passage that means
the same as ‘story’. 1
Answer: Legend.
(d) Why is Assam termed a tea country? 1
Answer: Because it has the largest
concentration of tea plantation.
39. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
“Well, there’s the one about the Chinese emperor who always boiled water before
drinking it. One day a few leaves of the twigs burning under the pot fell into
the water giving it a delicious flavour. It is said they were tea leaves.”
“Tell me another!” scoffed Pranjol.
(a) “Well, there’s one”. What does ‘one’ stand for? 1
Answer: ‘One’ stands for ‘legend’.
(b) What is the Chinese legend about tea? 1
Answer: A Chinese Emperor always boiled water
before drinking it. One day a few leaves of the twigs burning under the pot
fell into the water giving it a delicious flavour. These were tea leaves.
(c) Which word in the extract stands for ‘small
branches of a tree’? 1
Answer: Twigs.
(d) What is another legend about tea? 1
Answer: Tea leaves grew up of the eyelids of a
monk.
40. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
“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.
(a) Why did Bodhidharma cut his eyelids? 1
Answer: Bodhidharma cut his eyelids because he
felt sleepy during meditation.
(b) What happened to his eyelids? 1
Answer: Ten tea plants grew out of the
eyelids.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘disappeared’. 1
Answer: Banished.
(d) How does the tea leaf help? 1
Answer: The tea leaves when drunk banish
sleep.
41. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The train clattered into Mariani junction. The boys collected their luggage and
pushed their way to the crowded platform.
(a) Who are the boys under reference? 1
Answer: Rajvir and Pranjol are the two boys
under reference.
(b) Where are they going? 1
Answer: They are going to Assam.
(c) Which word in the extract is similar to
‘entered’? 1
Answer: ‘Clattered’.
(d) Why are the two boys going to Assam? 1
Answer: They are visiting Assam to know more
about tea plantation and meet Pranjol’s parents.
42. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Pranjol’s parents were waiting for them. Soon they were driving towards
Dhekiabari, the tea-garden managed by Pranjol’s father. An hour later the car
veered sharply off the main road. They crossed a cattle-bridge and entered Dhekiabari Tea Estate.
(a) What is Dhekiabari? 1
Answer: Dhekiabari is the tea-garden managed
by Pranjol’s father.
(b) Where did Pranjol and Rajvir go? 1
Answer: Pranjol and Rajvir went to the
Dhekiabari Tea Estate.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘turned’. 1
Answer: Veered off.
(d) What did they cross to enter Dhekiabari? 1
Answer: They crossed a cattle bridge and
entered Dhekiabari.
43. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
On both sides of the gravel-road were acre upon acre of tea-bushes, all neatly
pruned to the same height. Groups of tea-pluckers, with bamboo baskets on their
backs, wearing plastic aprons, were plucking the newly sprouted
leaves.
(a) What did the boys see on both sides of the road? 1
Answer: They saw tea estates on both sides of
the road.
(b) What were the women doing? 1
Answer: The women were plucking the newly
sprouted leaves.
(c) Which word in the extract is similar to
‘clothes’? 1
Answer: Aprons.
(d) What did the women have? 1
Answer: The women tea pluckers had bamboo
baskets on their back.
44. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The train pulled out of the station. Pranjol buried his nose in his detective
book again, Rajvir too was an ardent fan of detective stories, but at the
moment he was keener on looking at the beautiful scenery. It was green, green everywhere. Rajvir had never seen so much greenery before.
Then the soft green paddy fields gave way to tea bushes.
(a) Which scene is being described here? 1
Answer: It is the scene of tea estates in
Assam.
(b) Why was Rajvir not reading the book? 1
Answer: Rajvir was fascinated with the
greenery outside. It was a magnificent scene outside.
(c) Which word in the extract is similar in meaning
to ‘enthusiastic’? 1
Answer: Ardent.
(d) What was Pranjol doing? 1
Answer: Pranjol was reading a detective book.
45. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
It was a magnificent view. Against the backdrop of densely wooded hills a sea
of tea bushes stretched as far as the eye could see. Dwarfing the tiny tea
plants were tall sturdy shade-trees and amidst the orderly rows of bushes
busily moved doll-like figures. In the distance was an ugly building with smoke billowing out of tall
chimneys.
(a) “It was a magnificent view”. What made the view
outside so magnificent? 1
Answer: The greenery, wooded hills and
tea-gardens made the outside scene magnificent.
(b) Who were the doll-like figures? 1
Answer: The tea pluckers, were the doll-like
figures.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘beautiful’. 1
Answer: Magnificent.
(d) What did they see at some distance? 1
Answer: In the distance, there was an ugly
building with smoke billowing out of tall chimneys.
46. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
“Hey, a tea-garden!” Rajvir cried excitedly.
Pranjol, who had been born and brought up on a plantation, didn’t share
Rajvir’s excitement.
“Oh, this is tea country now,” he said. “Assam has the largest concentration of
plantations in the world. You will see enough gardens to last you a lifetime!”
(a) Why was Rajvir so excited? 1
Answer: Rajvir saw a tea-garden for the first
time. So he was excited about seeing the tea garden.
(b) Why was Pranjol not so excited as Rajvir? 1
Answer: Pranjol was born and brought up there.
There was nothing new for him. So he was not excited.
(c) Which word in the extract is close to ‘shouted’
in meaning? 1
Answer: Cried.
(d) What do you come to know about Assam? 1
Answer: Assam has the largest concentration of
plantations in the world.
47. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
This way she picked up various small details about the bus journey. The town
was six miles from her village. The fare was thirty paise one way – “which is
almost nothing at all,” she heard one well-dressed man say, but to Valli, who
scarcely saw that much money from one month to the next, it seemed a fortune.
The trip to the town took forty-five minutes.
(a) Why did Valli pick up small details about the
bus journey? 1
Answer: Valli wanted to travel by bus.
(b) Why was the fare a fortune for Valli? 1
Answer: It was a fortune for Valli because she
did not have that much money.
(c) What information did Valli get about the bus
journey? 1
Answer: Valli came to know that it was a six
miles journey and the fare was thirty paise.
(d) How much time did the journey take? 1
Answer: The journey took forty-five minutes.
48. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
But for Valli, standing at the front door was every bit as enjoyable as any of
the elaborate games other children played. Watching the street gave her many
new unusual experiences.
(a) What was enjoyable for Valli? 1
Answer: Standing at the front door and
watching the street was enjoyable for Valli.
(b) What did she get from watching the street? 1
Answer: Watching the street gave her unusual
experiences.
(c) What was the most fascinating thing for Valli? 1
Answer: The arrival of the bus was the most fascinating
experience for Valli.
(d) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘different’. 1
Answer: Unusual.
49. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
The most fascinating thing of all was the bus that travelled between her
village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour, once
going to the town and once coming back. The sight of the bus filled each time
with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli.
(a) What was the most fascinating thing for Valli? 1
Answer: The most fascinating thing of all was
the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town.
(b) What was the source of unending joy for Valli? 1
Answer: The sight of the bus filled with new
passengers every time was a source of unending joy for Valli.
(c) How frequently did the bus come to the village? 1
Answer: The bus passed through the village
each hour, once going to the town and once coming back.
(d) How did Valli spend her time? 1
Answer: Valli used to stand at the front door
of her house and enjoyed watching things in the street.
50. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
“May we start now, madam?” the conductor asked, smiling. Then he blew his
whistle twice, and the bus moved forward with a roar.
(a) Who is ‘madam’ here? 1
Answer: Valli is ‘madam’ here.
(b) Where is she?
1
Answer: She is on the bus.
(c) What did the conductor ask her? 1
Answer: The conductor asked her if they could
start the journey.
(d) Where was Valli going? 1
Answer: Valli was going to town. It was
her first journey in the bus.
51. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
It was a new bus, its outside painted a gleaming white with some green stripes
along the sides. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver. Directly in front
of Valli, above the windshield, there was a beautiful clock. The seats were
soft and luxurious.
(a) Which bus is under reference? 1
Answer: The bus which goes from Valli’s
village to the town is under reference.
(b) What shows that it was a new bus? 1
Answer: Its outside was painted a gleaming
white. Its seats were soft and luxurious. It shows that it was a new bus.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘shining’. 1
Answer: Gleaming.
(d) Where was Valli going to? 1
Answer: Valli was going to the town as her
maiden journey on the bus.
52. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Valli devoured everything with her eyes. But when she started to look outside,
she found her view cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her
window. So she stood up on the seat and peered over the blind.
(a) Why did Valli stand up on her seat? 1
Answer: Valli was a small child. She could not
see outside clearly as her view was cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window.
(b) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘observe and grasp’. 1
Answer: Devoured.
(c) Why did Valli want to see the outside view so
keenly? 1
onAnswer: She was travelling the bus for the first time. It was her dream.
She wanted to enjoy every moment of her journey by bus.
(d) What did Valli see outside? 1
Answer: Valli enjoyed beautiful sights outside
bus.
53. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
“Won’t your mother be looking for you?” the conductor asked when he gave the
girl her ticket.
“No, no one will be looking for me,” she said.
The bus started, and again there were the same wonderful sights.
(a) Who is the girl here? 1
Answer: Valli is the girl here.
(b) Did her mother know where she was going? Which
sentence shows it? 1
Answer: No, her mother did not know where she
was going. “Won’t your mother be looking for you?” shows it.
(c) What did the conductor ask her? 1
Answer: The conductor asked her if her mother
would be looking for her.
(d) What did Valli reply? 1
Answer: She replied that nobody would be
looking for her.
54. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Valli wasn’t bored in the slightest and greeted everything with the same
excitement she’d felt the first time. But suddenly she saw a young cow lying
dead by the roadside, just where it had been struck by some fast-moving
vehicle.
(a) How did Valli feel during the journey? 1
Answer: Valli was happy and greeted everything
with excitement.
(b) What changed her mood? 1
Answer: The scene of a dead cow changed her
mood.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘hit’. 1
Answer: Struck.
(d) How was her return journey different? 1
Answer: She was sad about seeing a dead cow on
her return journey.
55. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
“Isn’t that the same cow that ran in front of the bus on our trip to town?” She
asked the conductor.
The conductor nodded, and she was overcome with sadness. What had been a lovable, beautiful creature just a little while ago had now suddenly lost its
charm and its life and looked so horrible, so frightening as it lay there, legs
spreadeagled, a fixed stare in its lifeless eyes, blood all over...
(a) Why was Valli overcome with sadness? 1
Answer: When Valli came to know that it was
the same cow which was dead, she was overcome with sadness.
(b) How did the scene lose its charm? 1
Answer: Death of the cow changed the scene.
The entire scene lost its charm. Life looked horrible and frightening.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘fearful’. 1
Answer: Frightening.
(d) What happened to the cow? 1
Answer: The cow was dead.
56. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her
head and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once. This
wish became stronger and stronger until it was an overwhelming desire. Valli
would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus when it stopped
at the street corner.
(a) What was Valli’s tiny wish? 1
Answer: Her tiny wish was to ride a bus.
(b) How did her tiny wish become an overwhelming
desire? 1
Answer: When she saw people getting on and off
the bus every day, her tiny wish became an overwhelming desire.
(c) What did Valli stare at? 1
Answer: Valli stared at the people who got off
the bus.
(d) Where did the bus stop? 1
Answer: The bus stopped at the street corner.
57. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Their faces would kindle in her longings, dreams and hopes. If one of her
friends happened to ride the bus and tried to describe the sights of the town
to her, Valli would be too jealous to listen and would shout, in English:
“Proud! proud!” Neither she nor her friends really understood the meaning of
the word, but they used it often as a slang expression of disapproval.
(a) Whose faces would kindle her longings? 1
Answer: The faces of the people who got off
the bus would kindle her longing for the bus ride.
(b) Why would Valli be jealous of her friend? 1
Answer: Whenever her friend tried to describe
her experience of the bus ride and city sights, Valli would be jealous of her.
She herself wanted to ride the bus and go to the city.
(c) Pick out one word from the passage that means
the same as ‘revive’. 1
Answer: Kindle.
(d) How would Valli react to her friend's description
of bus ride or town? 1
Answer: She would be jealous to listen to the
description of the bus ride or town by her friends.
58. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Over many days and months, Valli listened carefully to conversations between her
neighbours and people who regularly used the bus, and she also asked a few
discreet questions here and there.
(a) Why did Valli take interest in conversations
between people and her neighbours? 1
Answer: Valli took interest in conversations
between people and her neighbours because she wanted to know more and more
about the city and the bus.
(b) What were these conversations about? 1
Answer: These conversations were about the bus
journey and the city.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘wise’. 1
Answer: Discreet.
(d) What did Valli wish for? 1
Answer: Valli wished for a joy ride in the
bus.
59. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Well, one fine spring day the afternoon bus was just on the point of leaving
the village and turning into the main highway when a small voice was heard
shouting: “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised
commandingly.
(a) When was the bus stopped? 1
Answer: The bus was about to leave the village
and turn into the main highway when it was stopped by Valli.
(b) Whose was this small voice that stopped the bus? 1
Answer: It was Valli whose tiny voice stopped
the bus.
(c) Pick out one word from the passage that means
the same as ‘small’. 1
Answer: Tiny.
(d) Where was Valli going? 1
Answer: Valli was going to town.
60. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The bus slowed down to a crawl, and the conductor, sticking his head out of the
door, said: “Hurry then! Tell whoever it is to come quickly.”
“It’s me,” shouted Valli. “I’m the one who has to get on.”
By now the bus had come to a stop and the conductor
said: “Oh, really! You don’t say so!”
“Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus,
“and here’s my money.” She showed him some coins.
(a) What did the conductor ask Valli to do first? 1
Answer: The conductor asked Valli to tell the
person who had to get into the bus to do so quickly.
(b) What did Valli tell him? 1
Answer: Valli told him that it was she who had
to board the bus.
(c) Pick out a phrase from the passage that means
the same as ‘to board the bus’. 1
Answer: To get on.
(d) Why was the conductor surprised? 1
Answer: Knowing the fact that a small child
was travelling alone surprised the conductor.
61. Read the following extracts
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
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 earrings in them! And she could smell the betel nut the
woman was chewing and see the betel juice that was threatening to spill over
her lips at any moment.
(a) How did Valli find the elderly woman? 1
Answer: Valli found the elderly woman repulsive.
(b) What was it that Valli disliked about the
elderly woman? 1
Answer: She did not like her big holes in the
ear and ugly earrings in them. Her eating of betel nuts was also irritating.
(c) Pick out one word from the extract that means
the same as ‘causing strong dislike’. 1
Answer: Repulsive.
(d) What did the elderly woman ask Valli? 1
Answer: The elderly woman asked Valli if she
was going all alone.
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