TS 10th Class English Important Questions 7th Lesson Nation and Diversity

These TS 10th Class English Important Questions 7th lesson Nation and Diversity will help the students to improve their time and approach.

TS 10th Class English 7th Lesson Questions and Answers Nation and Diversity

Section – A : Reading Comprehension

(Q.1 – 7):

(A) Read the following passage.

I was born into a middle-class Tamil’ family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras State. My father, Jainulabdeen, had neither much formal education nor much wealth; despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He had an ideal helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma. I do not recall the exact, number of people she fed every day, but I am quite certain that far more outsiders ate with us than all the members of our own family put together.

I was one of the children – a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. We lived in our ancestral house, which was built in the middle of the nineteenth centrury. It was a fairly large pucca house, made of limestone and brick, on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram. My austere father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all necessities were provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. In fact, I would say mine was a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally.

The Second World War broke out in 1939, when I was eight years old. For reasons I have never been able to understand, a sudden demand for tamarind seeds erupted in the market. I used to collect the seeds and sell them to a provision shop on Mosque Street. A day’s collection would fetch me the princely sum of one anna. My brother-in-law Jallaluddin would tell me stories about the War which I would later attempt to trace in the headlines in Dinamani. Our area, being isolated, was completely unaffected by the War. But soon India was forced to join the Allied Forces and something like a state of emergency was declared.

The first casualty came in the form of the suspension of the train halt at Rameswaram station. The newspapers now had to be bundled and thrown out from the moving train on the Rameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi. That forced my cousin Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram, to look for a helping, hand to catch the bundles and, as if naturally, I filled the slot, Samsuddi helped me earn my first wages. Half century later, I can still feel the surge of pride in earning my own money for the first time.

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 1.
The speaker belongs to
(A) Tamil Nadu
(B) a middle-class family
(C) Rameswaram
(D) above all
Answer:
(D) above all

Question 2.
What is the nationality of the speaker?
(A) A Tamilian
(B) An Indian
(C) A great scientist
(D) above all
Answer:
(B) An Indian

Question 3.
‘My austere father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries.’ What does this sentence tell us about Jainuladbeen ?
(A) Jainulabdeen was a man of simplicity
(B) Jainulabdeen was a miser.
(C) Jainulabdeen did not like to eat food.
(D) Jainulabdeen did not help others.
Answer:
(A) Jainulabdeen was a man of simplicity

Question 4.
‘The Second World War broke out in 1939, when I was eight years old.’ Basing on the information given in the sentence, choose the year in which the speaker was born ?
(A) 1929
(B) 1927
(C) 1931
(D) 1939
Answer:
(C) 1931

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

Question 5.
How was the speaker’s childhood secure both materially and emotionally ?
Answer:
The speaker was provided with all necessities, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. His father was a man of wisdom. He could guide the speaker properly. Thus the childhood of the speaker was secure both materially and emotionally.

Question 6.
Write any two sentences about the speaker’s house.
Answer:
The speaker’s house was built in the middle of the nineteenth century. It was a fairly large pucca house, made of limestone and brick. It was an ancestral house.

Question 7.
What were the two disadvantages that the speaker had in his childhood ?
Answer:
His family was not rich. His father was not formally educated.

(B) Read the following passage.

The second world war broke out in 1939, when I was eight years old. For reasons I have never been able to understand, a sudden demand for tamarind seeds erupted in the market. I used to collect the seeds and sell them to a provision shop on Mosque Street. A day’s collection would fetch me the princely sum of one anna. My brother-in-law Jallaluddin would tell me stories about the War which I would later attempt to trace in the headlines in Dinamani. Our area, being isolated, was completely unaffected by the War. But soon India was forced to join the Allied Forces and something like a state of emergency was declared.

The first casualty came in the form of the suspension of the train halt at Rameswaram station. The newspapers now had to be bundled and thrown out from the moving train on the Rameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi. That forced my cousin Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram, to look for a helping hand to catch the bundles and, as if naturally, I filled the slot. Samsuddin helped me earn my first wages. Half a century later, I can still feel the surge of pride in earning my own money for the first time.

Every child is born, with some inherited characteristics, into a specific socioeconomic and emotional environment, and trained in certain ways by figures of authority. I inherited honesty and self-discipline from my father; from my mother, I inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness and so did my three brothers and sister. I had three close friends in my childhood – Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan.

Question 1.
When the Second World War broke out in 1939, when the narrator was years old.
(A) ten
(B) nine
(C) eight
(D) seven
Answer:
(C) eight

Question 2.
The narrator felt __________ in earning his own money for the first time.
(A) a sense of pride
(B) a sense of joy
(C) a sense of responsibility
(D) all the above
Answer:
(A) a sense of pride

Question 3.
Every child is born, with some inherited __________, into a specific socio-economic and emotional environment
(A) aspects
(B) features
(C) qualities
(D) characteristics
Answer:
(D) characteristics

Question 4.
Two qualities were inherited by the author from his father. They are
(A) punctuality and discipline
(B) honesty and self-discipline
(C) self-discipline and sincerity
(D) punctuality and honesty
Answer:
(B) honesty and self-discipline

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences.

Question 5.
How did the narrator earn some money for the first time ?
Answer:
When the narrator was an eight – year – old boy, a sudden demand for tamarind seeds erupted in the market. He used to collect the seeds and sell them to a provision shop on Mosque Street. A day’s collection would fetch him the princely sum of one anna. Thus, the narrator earned some money for the first time.

Question 6.
What happened as a result of cancelling the halt of the train at Rameswaram Station ?
Answer:
The first casuality due to the Second World War came in the form of the suspension of the train halt at Rameswaram station. The newspapers now had to be bundled and thrown out from the moving train on the Rameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanushodi. The bundle of newspapers had to be caught and distnbuted.

Question 7.
“I filled the slot”. What does the sentence mean ?
Answer:
This sentence means that Abdul Kalam helped his cousin Samsuddin in catching the newspaper bundles thrown from the moving train, at the Rameswaram Railway Station.

Every child is born, with some inherited characteristics, into a specific socio-economic and emotional environment, and trained in certain ways by figures of authority. I inherited honesty and self-discipline from my father; from my mother, I inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness so did my three brothers and sister. I had three close friends in my childhood – Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan. All these boys were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families.

As children, none of us ever felt any difference amongst ourselves because of our religious differences and upbringing. In fact, Ramanadha Sastry was the son of Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, the high priest of the Rameswaram temple. Later he took over the priesthood of the Rameswaram temple from his father; Aravindan went into business of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims; and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.
– My Childhood

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 1.
This is an excerpt of
(A) Interview
(B) Autobiography
(C) Report
(D) Essay
Answer:
(B) Autobiography

Question 2.
Later in life, Aravindan became
(A) a transport businessman
(B) a catering contractor for Southern Railways
(C) the high priest of Rameswaram temple.
(D) the President of India.
Answer:
(A) a transport businessman

Question 3.
Qualities that the author inherited from his mother were
(A) authoritativeness.
(B) self discipline
(C) faith in goodness.
(D) dishonesty
Answer:
(C) faith in goodness.

Question 4.
According to the passage, who is the figure of authority for the author?
(A) Parents
(B) Brothers and sister
(C) Friends
(D) Himself
Answer:
(A) Parents

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

Question 5.
“Every child is born, with some inherited characteristics.” What do you think are yours ?
Answer:
I think I have got the characteristics of courage, self discipline and will power, from my parents.

Question 6.
According to the passage, who were the childhood friends of the author ?
Answer:
Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindari and Siva Prakasan, who were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin familles, were the childhood friends of the author.

Question 7.
“You are living in a colony where families of different religions live together.” What factors do you think helps them to live together ?
Answer:
The factors such as religious harmony, cultural unity, certain traditions and conventions, consciousness of the people, love, brotherhood, unselfishness, kindness, generosity etc., help the people of different religions live together.

(D) Read the following passage.

All these boys were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. As children, none of us ever felt any difference amongst ourselves because of our religious differences and upbringing. In fact, Ramanadha Sastry was the son of Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, the high priest of the Rameswaram temple. Later he took over the priesthood of the Rameswaram temple from his father; Aravindan went into the business of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims; and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony, our family used to arrange boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site, situated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha which was near our house. Events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet were the bedtime stories my mother and grandmother would tell the children in our family.

One day when I was in the fifth standard at the Rameswaram Elementary School, a new teacher came to our class. I used to wear a cap which marked me as a Muslim, and I always sat in the front row next to Ramanadha sastry, who wore the sacred thread. The new teacher could not stomach a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy. In accordance with our social ranking as the new teacher saw it, I was asked to go and sit on the back bench. I felt very sad, and so did Ramanadha Sastry. He looked utterly downcast as I shifted to my seat in the last row. The image of him weeping when I shifted to the last row left a lasting impression on me.

Question 1.
One day when the author was in the standard at the Rameswaram El-ementary School, a new teacher went to their class.
(A) eighth
(B) fifth
(C) sixth
(D) seventh
Answer:
(B) fifth

Question 2.
Those schoolmates who were his friends came from
(A) orthodox Hindu Brahmin families
(B) broad – minded Hindu families
(C) austere Muslim families
(D) from Hindu and Muslim castes
Answer:
(A) orthodox Hindu Brahmin families

Question 3.
“I felt very sad; and so did Ramanadha Sastry. He looked utterly __________ at shifted to my seat in the last row”. Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
(A) dejected
(B) depressed
(C) downcast
(D) sad
Answer:
(C) downcast

Question 4.
The new teacher could not stomach
(A) a Muslim boy wearing a cap
(B) a Brahmin boy wearing a sacred thread.
(C) a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy
(D) a Muslim boy touching a Brahmin boy
Answer:
(C) a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

Question 5.
If one wants to bring a change in the social system, what qualities should one posses
Answer:
One should be courageous, optimistic and ideal in his behaviour to face the problems which would crop up due to caste system. Positive thinking, exemplary behaviour and reconciling nature in a person enables him to bring changes in the social system.

Question 6.
What lasting impression did Ramanadha Sastry leave on Kalam ?
Answer:
Kalam was asked by the new teacher to sit on the back bench. He felt very bad and sad. Ramanadha Sastry too felt in a similar manner. The Image of Sastry weeping when Kalam shifted to the last row, left a lasting impression in the author (Kalam) such was the genuine brotherly feeling Sastry and Kalam used to have.

Question 7.
What was the intolerable incident which hurt the feelings of two young minds due to the new teacher ?
Answer:
The new teacher could not tolerate a Hindu priest’s son Ramanadha Sastry sitting with a Muslim boy Kalam. Owing to societal norms of those conservative times, the teacher asked Kalam to sit on the backbench. This intolerable incident deeply hurt the two young and tender minds of Sastry and Kalam.

(E) Read the following passage.

After school, we went home and told our respective parents about the incident. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher, and in our presence, told the teacher that he should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologize or quit the school and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour but the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher.

On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups. However, my science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer, though an orthodox Brahmin with a very conservative wife, was something of a rebel. He did his best to break social barriers so that people from varying backgrounds could mingle easily. He used hours with me and would say, Kalam, I want you to develop so that you are on par with the highly educated people of the big cities.”

Question 1.
Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher
(A) and told him that he should not spread poison of social inequality
(B) and told him that he should not encourage communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children
(C) and bluntly asked him to either apologize or quit the school and the island
(D) all the three mentioned above
Answer:
(D) all the three mentioned above

Question 2.
On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very in terms of the segregation of different social groups.
(A) conservative
(B) rigid
(C) orthodox
(D) communal
Answer:
(B) rigid

Question 3.
Their science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer, though an orthodox Brahmin with a very conservative wife,
(A) was something of a rebel
(B) was something of a revolutionary
(C) was diplomatic
(D) was non-controversial
Answer:
(A) was something of a rebel

Question 4.
Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour but the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher. Name the parts of speech of the words underlined.
(A) Noun and Adjective
(B) Adjective and Verb
(C) Adjective and Adverb
(D) Adverb and Noun
Answer:
(C) Adjective and Adverb

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

Question 5.
What did Lakshmana Sastry tell the new teacher ?
Answer:
Lakshmaria Sastry told the new teacher not to spread the poison of social inequality. He advised him not to encourage communal intolerance in the minds of the innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher either to apologize or quit the school and the island. Sastry told the teacher all this in the presence of the children.

Question 6.
Describe in a few words the small society of Rameswaram ?
Answer:
Rameswaram is an island town. It is reputed as a temple town. On the whole the small society of the town was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups. There were Brahmins, Muslims and people of other religions and castes living peacefully and harmoniously.

Question 7.
How did Sivasubramania Iyer bless Kalam ?
Answer:
Sivasubramanla Iyer blessed Kalam saying that he should develop so that he would be on par with the highly educated elite of the big cities. Of course, Kalam fulfilled his teacher’s blessings and became the first citizen of India.

(F) Read the following passage.

One day when I was in the fifth standard at the Rameswaram Elementary School, a new teacher came to our class. I used to wear a cap which marked me as a Muslim, and I always sat in the front row next to Ramanadha Sastry, who wore the sacred thread. The new teacher could not stomach a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy. In accordance with our social ranking as the new teacher saw it, I was asked to go and sit on the back bench. I felt very sad, and so did Ramanadha sastry. He looked utterly downcast as I shifted to my seat in the last row. The image of him weeping when I shifted to the last row left a lasting impression on me.

After school, we went home and told our respective parents about the incident. Lakshmana sastry summoned the teacher, and in our presence, told the teacher that he should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologize or quit the school and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour but the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher.

On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in the terms of the segregation of different social groups. However, my science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer, though an orthodox Brahmin with a very conservative wife, was something of a rebel. He did his best to break social barriers so that people from varying backgrounds could mingle easily. He used hours with me and would say, “Kalam, I want you to develop so that’ you are on par with the highly educated people of the big cities.”

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 1.
The teacher asked the boy to sit on the last bench as
(A) he did not work hard
(B) he misbehaved in the class.
(C) he sat with a Hindu priest’s son.
(D) he disobeyed the teacher.
Answer:
(C) he sat with a Hindu priest’s son.

Question 2.
The teacher could not stomach a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy.
What does the expression “could not stomach” mean ?
(A) he had a pain in the stomach.
(B) he welcomed the act.
(C) he neither welcomed nor objected to it.
(D) he could not tolerate the act.
Answer:
(D) he could not tolerate the act.

Question 3.
The outcome of Lakshmana Sastry’s decision
(A) it reformed the teacher.
(B) both the boys were separated form each other.
(C) spread communal poison.
(D) the teacher quit the school.
Answer:
(A) it reformed the teacher.

Question 4.
The general nature of society in Rameswaram
(A) was very flexible and promoted co-existence.
(B) did not allow people from different social groups to live together.
(C) encouraged different groups live harmoniously.
(D) broke the social barriers.
Answer:
(B) did not allow people from different social groups to live together.

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

Question 5.
How did the narrator feel when he looked at Ramanadha Sastry from the back bench?
Answer:
The narrator felt sad when he was asked to go to the back bench. The image of Ramanadha Sastry’s weeping left an everlasting impression on him.

Question 6.
What way is the person called Lakshmana Sastry concerned with the incident ?
Answer:
Lakshmana Sastry might be the secretary or the correspondent of the school. He summoned the teacher and told him that he spread the poison of communal intolerance. He bluntly asked him to either apologize or quit the school.

Question 7.
How did Sivsubramania Iyer influence the narrator ?
Answer:
Sivasubramania lyer was an orthodox Brahmin and taught science to the narrator. He did his best to break the social barriers. He promised to the narrator that he would develop on par with the educated people of the big cities.

(G) Read the following passage.

After school, we went home and told our respective parents about the incident. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher, and in our presence, told the teacher that he should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologize or quit the school and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour but the strong sense of conviction Laksiunana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher.

On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups. However, my science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer, though an orthodox Brahmin with a very conservative wife, was something of a rebel. He did his best to break social barriers so that people from varying backgrounds could mingle easily. He used hours with me and would say, “Kalam, I want you to develop so that you are on par with the highly educated people of the big cities.”

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 1.
Ramanatha Sastry looked very sad because
(A) he was suffering from some illness.
(B) he didn’t like their new teacher.
(C) Kalam was changed to the last row.
(D) he didn’t like to sit beside a Muslim boy.
Answer:
(C) Kalam was changed to the last row.

Question 2.
The thing that had a lasting impression on the narrator was
(A) the image of Kalam’s weeping.
(B) the image of Ramanatha Sastry’s weeping.
(C) the image of the Hindu priest’s weeping.
(D) the image of the teacher’s weeping.
Answer:
(B) the image of Ramanatha Sastry’s weeping.

Question 3.
Ramanatha Sastry’s father demanded the young teacher
(A) to spread the poison of social inequality.
(B) to spread the communal intolerance.
(C) to stop weeping.
(D) to either apologize or quit the school.
Answer:
(D) to either apologize or quit the school.

Question 4.
What do you mean by the word ‘us’ in the expression, “His wife watched us from behind the kitchen door” ?
(A) Kalam and Iyer
(B) Kalam and his freinds
(C) Kalam and Ramanatha Sastry
(D) Ramanatha Sastry and Lakshmana Sastry
Answer:
(A) Kalam and Iyer

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

Question 5.
“I was asked to go and sit on the back bench.” Who does ‘I’ refer to ? Why do you think he was sent to back bench ?
Answer:
‘I’ refers to Kalam. The new teacher could not stomach him sitting beside a Hindu priest’s son. So he was sent to back bench by the new teacher.

Question 6.
“Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour but the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher.” How do you think the young teacher was reformed ?
Answer:
The young teacher was reformed for two reasons. They are :
a) The teacher regretted his behaviour.
b) The strong sense of conviction conveyed by Lakshmana Sastry made him to treat all equally.

Question 7.
How was Sivasubramania Iyer different from others in the small society of Rameswaram?
Answer:
The small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups. But Sivasubramania Ieyer was something of a rebel though he was an orthodox Brahmin and his wife was conservative. He did his best to break social barriers.

(H) Read the following passage.

One day, he invited me to his home for a meal. His wife was horrified at the idea of a Muslim boy being invited to dine in her ritually pure kitchen. She refused to serve me in her kitchen. Sivasubramania Iyer was not perturbed, nor did he get angry with his wife, but instead, served me with his own hands and sat down beside me to eat his metal. His wife watched us from behind the kitchen door. I wondered whether she had observed any difference in the way I ate rice, drank water or cleaned the floor after the meal. When I was leaving his house, Sivasubramania Iyer invited me to join him for dinner again the next weekend.

Observing my hesitation, he told not to get upset, saying, “Once you decide to change the system, such problems have to be confronted.” When I visited his house the next week, Sivasubramania lyers’ wife took me inside her kitchen and served me food with her own hands.

Then the Second World War was over and India’s freedom was imminent. “Indians will build their own India,” declared Gandhiji, The whole country was filled with an unprecedented optimism. I asked my father for permission to leave Rameswaram and study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram.

He told me as if thinking aloud, “Abut I know you have to go away to grow. Does the seagull not fly across the sun, alone and without a nest ?” He quoted Khalil Gibran to my hesitant mother, “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not form you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts.”

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer andwrite (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 1.
What was the intention of Sivasubramania Iyer in serving the speaker?
(A) To make his wife understand that people should be treated irrespective of religion.
(B) To make his wife insult
(C) To satisfy the hunger of the speaker
(D) To share the work of his wife
Answer:
(A) To make his wife understand that people should be treated irrespective of religion.

Question 2.
Why did Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife serve the speaker the next time ?
(A) To make the speaker know the taste of the food cooked by her.
(B) To show how tasty the food in her house.
(C) Because she understood her husbands’ idea.
(D) Because she was afraid of her husband.
Answer:
(C) Because she understood her husbands’ idea.

Question 3.
Why did the speaker want to go’ Ramanathapuram ?
(A) To sell tamarind seeds
(B) To work as a paper boy
(C) To continue his studies
(D) To start a new business
Answer:
(C) To continue his studies

Question 4.
How did the mother of the speaker feel when the speaker wanted to leave his home town ?
(A) She encouraged her son.
(B) She was not willing.
(C) She was readily agreed.
(D) She was eager to go with her son.
Answer:
(B) She was not willing.

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

Question 5.
What was the reaction of Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife when the speaker was invited for a meal ?
Answer:
Iyer’s wife was horrified at the idea of a Muslim boy being invited to dine in her ritually pure kitchen. She refused to serve him in her kitchen.

Question 6.
Why was Sivasubramania Iyer not perturbed at his wife’s reaction ?
Answer:
Sivasubramania lyer was not perturbed at his wife’s reaction because he expected her reaction in advance and was ready to face it.

Question 7.
How did the philosophy of the father come true about his son ?
Answer:
His philosophy came true about his son. His son, Abdul Kalam studied well and became a great Indian scientist and the President of India.

(Q.8 – 12):

(A) Read the following lines.

We, Indians, are proud to be a strong nation,
our roots, we declare, cannot be shaken.
Then why these fights,
which leave us in poor plight ?
Irrespective of our region,
forget the castes,
which makes us lose our charm.
Let’s ignore the selfish call of each region,
and listen for once to the call of the nation.

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 8.
Why should Indians be proud ?
(A) because we are good
(B) because we are strong
(C) because we have no enemies
(D) because we are Indians
Answer:
(B) because we are strong

Question 9.
Why do we lose our charm ?
(A) because we become old
(B) because we are proud
(C) because we are fighting for region and casteism
(D) because our Indians are weak
Answer:
(C) because we are fighting for region and casteism

Question 10.
What should we keep aside as a true Indian ?
(A) Regionalism
(B) Communalism
(C) Casteism
(D) All of these
Answer:
(D) All of these

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

Question 11.
Who are responsible for our tradition of spiritual greatness ?
Answer:
They result in a difficult situation.

Question 12.
Pick out the word from the passage which means the people who recieve something from somebody, when he dies.
Answer:
to keep the nation united and strong.

(B) Read the following lines.

Let’s ignore the selfish call of each region,
and listen for once to the call of the nation.
Why do we spend our time bickering
when so many tasks need finishing ?
Don’t we have better things to do
than indulge in creating problems anew ?
Is all this violence needed
with the people being cheated ?
Who will return this only son
whom she loves a ton ?
Who will bring back his brother
whose ashes he is still to gather ?
Where has all the love gone
which resided in the heart of all ?

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 8.
Where has all the love gone which resided in the heart of all ?’ What does the above line mean ?
(A) We should show our love to the people around us.
(B) We should not love others.
(C) We should remove love from our hearts.
(D) We should live without love and hearts.
Answer:
(A) We should show our love to the people around us.

Question 9.
‘Let’s ignore the selfish call of each region, and listen for once to the call of the nation.’ What does this sentence mean ?
(A) We should ignore the development of regions.
(B) We should bound to the cause of the nation united, not to the cause of a region selfishly.
(C) We need not develop the nation.
(D) We should develop our regions.
Answer:
(B) We should bound to the cause of the nation united, not to the cause of a region selfishly.

Question 10.
Which is a better thing to do?
(A) To create new problems
(B) To finish the tasks for the sake of the nation
(C) To waste time in thinking
(D) To spend our time bickering
Answer:
(B) To finish the tasks for the sake of the nation

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

Question 11.
What does the poet say about the loss done to a mother ?
Answer:
Mothers have lost their Sons because of violence. Nobody can return their sons to their mothers who love their sons a lot.

Question 12.
What does the poet say about violence ?
Answer:
Violence is not needed. People will lose their relations because of violence.

There is no reason to be proud,
and be on high cloud,
We have to go a long way,
we have to think seriously,
else we end up miserably.
Then let our minds throw out the rot,
and devote our time to pious thoughts.

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 8.
What are the feelings expressed in this stanza ?
(A) Nationalistic
(B) Terroristic
(C) Hatred
(D) Pessimistic
Answer:
(A) Nationalistic

Question 9.
Who are being addressed in this stanza ?
(A) The people of the world
(B) All the poets in the world
(C) The people of India
(D) Indian poets
Answer:
(C) The people of India

Question 10.
What kind of thoughts should we have?
(A) Beautiful
(B) Selfish and funny
(C) Serious and pious
(D) Silly and selfish
Answer:
(C) Serious and pious

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

Question 11.
Why should we think seriously ?
Answer:
We should think seriously for the sake of the nation.

Question 12.
What happens if we do not think seriously ?
Answer:
If we /do not think seriously, we will end up miserably.

(D) Read the following lines.

Let us control the riots,
which leave us with no choice,
but to hang our heads in shame,
and say we have miserably failed.
We have the power to Win,
so why not end this din?
Let us unite,
and fight against those who incite.
Let us not be misled,
by those who want to see us dead.
We are a strong united nation,
all we need is a bit of dedication.

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 8.
If we don’t control the riots
(A) they go on increasing
(B) people go on attacking one another
(C) the unity of India will be in jeopardy
(D) we should hang our heads in shame
Answer:
(D) we should hang our heads in shame

Question 9.
As we have the power to win, we can end this
(A) din
(B) disturbance
(C) riot
(D) trouble of disunity
Answer:
(A) din

Question 10.
People have to fight against those
(A) who encourage them to be violent by making them furious
(B) who provoke them
(C) who humiliate them
(D) who hurt them
Answer:
(A) who encourage them to be violent by making them furious

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

Question 11.
What are the tasks to be finished according to the poet ?
Answer:
People of India should perform constructive tasks to keep their unity intact. They should control the riots lest they should hang their heads in shame. They must have the power to win In order to avoid the disturbances in the country on the basis of caste, religion, region and community. They should be united against those who provoke violence and communal hatred which result in death.

Question 12.
What is the central idea of the poem ?
Answer:
The poet aims at creating an awareness among the poeple about evil and undesirable aspects of our social life. He hopes for a harmonious social life in which people should live peacefully and cordially together irrespective of their religion, region and caste and community.

(E) Read the following passage.

India, a country of many ethnic groups, is a land of myriad languages, a veritable babel of tongues and numerous modes of apparel. For the most part, the continental dimensions of the country account for these variations and diversities. Besides, there are several religions, sects and beliefs. But there are certain common links and uniting bonds that people have sought to develop in order to achieve the eminently desirable goal of unity amidst diversity.

It is true that superficial observers are likely to be bewildered by the astonishing variety of Indian life. They fail to discover the one in many, the individual in the aggregate; the simple in the composite. With them the whole is lost in its parts. What is needed is the superior interpretation, synthesis of the power of the mind that can give rise to a vision of the whole.

A keen penetrating insight will not fail to recognise the fundamental unity beneath the manifold variety in India. The diversity itself, far from being a damaging cause of disunity and weakness, is a fertile source of strength and wealth. Sir Herbert Risely has rightly observed: “Beneath the manifold diversity of physical and social types, languages, customs and religions which strike the observer in India, there can still be discerned a certain underlying uniformity of life from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin.”

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 8.
The fault of superficial observers according to the writer is
(A) they have understood the simple in the composite.
(B) they have superior interpretation.
(C) they fail to discover one in many.
(D) they lacked the real observation.
Answer:
(C) they fail to discover one in many.

Question 9.
Which of the following words given in the passage means, “to recognize” ?
(A) penetrate
(B) discern
(C) babel
(D) myriad
Answer:
(B) discern

Question 10.
The thing that one needs to understand the fundamental unity in India is
(A) different religious sects and beliefs.
(B) astonishing variety.
(C) the diversity.
(D) a keen penetrating insight.
Answer:
(D) a keen penetrating insight.

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

Question 11.
What do you understand by the expression, “Unity in diversity” ?
Answer:
India is a country of various cultures, traditions and languages. Still it has one heart Our cultural heritage serves as abond of unity between the people odilferent faiths and creeds. People have sought to develop to acheive a desirable goal of unity amidst diversity.

Question 12.
Why are the observers likely to be confused ?
Answer:
The superficial observers are likely to be confused by the astonishing variety of Indian life. They fafl to discover the one in many, the individual in the aggregate; the simple in the composite.

(F) Read the following passage.

From his long and first-hand experience in India, Vincent A. Smith says that the civilisation of India “has many features which differentiate it from that of the other regions of the word, while they are common to the whole country in degree sufficient to justify its treatment as a unity in the history of human, social and intellectual development.”

Even the early Indian history unmistakably shows that the political consciousness of the people has from the very early times, grasped the whole of India as a unit and assimilated the entire area as the theatre of its activities. India is not a mere geographical expression nor is it a mere collection of separate peoples, traditions and conventions.
India is much more than this.

The best proof lies in the fact that Indian history has quickened into life. India has many races, castes, sub-castes, nationalities and communities, but the heart of India is one. We are all heirs to a common and rich culture. Our cultural heritage consists of our art and literature as they flourished centuries ago. Our cultural heritage serves as a bond of unity between people of different faiths and creeds.

The streams of different cultures have flowed into our subcontinent to make us what we are and what we will be. There were Dravidians in India before the coming of the Aryans and Hinduism is a blend of the cultures of the North and the South.

India has one hundred and fifty dialects, and twenty two recognised regional languages, but Hindi, like English, has come to stay as the lingua franca of our nation. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Mumbai to Nagaland, Hindi is now understood and is recognised as the national language of India.

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 8.
‘Hinduism’ is the mixture of
(A) different dialects.
(B) variety of regional languages.
(C) the Dravidian and the Aryans.
(D) the cultures of the North and the South.
Answer:
(D) the cultures of the North and the South.

Question 9.
The language that is recognised as the national languages of India is
(A) Dravidian language.
(B) Aryan language.
(C) Hindi
(D) English
Answer:
(C) Hindi

Question 10.
‘Lingua franca’ in the expression, ” , like English has come to stay as
the lingua franca of our nation” means
(A) a language used between people whose main languages are different
(B) a language of Franca
(C) an important language
(D) a language used by most of the people all over the world.
Answer:
(A) a language used between people whose main languages are different

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

Question 11.
How does our cultural heritage serve ?
Answer:
Our cultural heritage serves as a bond of unity between people of different faiths and creeds.

Question 12.
Which aspect is Smith commenting on ?
Answer:
Smith is commenting on the distinguished features of India that makes it significant and extraordinary. But the feeling of unity is quite common for every Indian in terms of human, social and intellectual development.

(G) Read the following passage.

India has a rich cultural heritage. We are inheritors of several grand treasures in the fields of music, fine arts, dance drama, theatre and sculpture. Our sages and seers have left behind a tradition of piety, penance, spiritual greatness conquest of passion, etc. Our scriptures are the storehouses of spiritual wisdom. Our saints aspired to the realisation of the infinite. We have inherited great spiritual values contrasted with which the materialistic progress of the West appears insignificant.

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 8.
Drama, theatre and sculpture are a part of our
(A) cultural heritage
(B) habitual actions
(C) life
(D) arts
Answer:
(A) cultural heritage

Question 9.
What is the significance of our scriptures?
(A) They are very ancient.
(B) They are the storehouses of spiritual wisdom.
(C) They are created by sages and seers.
(D) They are created by gods.
Answer:
(B) They are the storehouses of spiritual wisdom.

Question 10
__________ had great spiritual values than the rest of the world.
(A) The Indians
(B) The West
(C) The people of the world
(D) The Indo-Aryans
Answer:
(A) The Indians

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

Question 11.
Who are responsible for our tradition of spiritual greatness ?
Answer:
Our sages and seers are responsible for our tradition of spiritual greatness.

Question 12.
Pick out the word from the passage which means the people who receive something from somebody, when he dies.
Answer:
Inheritors

(H) Read the following passage.

Indian classical music, like the Indian dances, is built on the concept of ragas and talas. Each raga is regarded appropriate to a certain time of the day or the night. There are believed to be about 250 ragas in common use in the North as well as in the South. In the modern times, people like Ravi Shankar have taken Indian music to the West and thus bridged the gap between the music of the East and the West.

‘Other significant features of India’s cultural unity are the variety, colour and the emotional richness of its dances. The country abounds in tribal dances, old-dances as well as classical dances of great virtuosity. Throughout India, dance is regarded not merely as an accompaniment to social intercourse, but also as a mode of aesthetic expression and spiritual realization.

The great symbol of dance is Shiva, the Cosmic Dancer, depicted in sculpture and poetry as Nataraja. Similarly, the classical theatre in India has a history of more than two thousand years. It was performed in palaces and in temples. The classical plays combined music and dance. Tragedy was, and is, still discouraged otherwise; the range of themes covered is wide. It is this strand of cultural unity running through the country that we are heir to, and to which people in the West are increasingly turning now.

It is up to the younger generation to uphold this torch of cultural unity for the rest of the world to see, follow and emulate, and not get dazed by the superficial prosperity and material achievement of the West, where man has set foot on the Moon in his quest for space travel, but finds himself isolated in his own society and community.

Now answer the following questions. Each question has four choices.
Choose the correct answer and write (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your answer booklet.

Question 8.
The basis of Indian classical music is
(A) a certain time of the day and the night.
(B) a certain time of the day.
(C) a certain time of the night.
(D) ragas and talas.
Answer:
(D) ragas and talas.

Question 9.
Nataraja is the great symbol of
(A) poetry
(B) classical theatre.
(C) sculpture.
(D) dance.
Answer:
(D) dance.

Question 10.
Which of the following words given in the passage means, “not looking at some-thing thoroughly” ?
(A) superficial
(B) cosmic
(C) dazed
(D) emulate
Answer:
(A) superficial

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

Question 11.
“The range of themes covered is wide.” – Which themes come to your mind if you want to present a theatrical pereformance ?
Answer:
The themes come to my mind are comedy, tragedy, melodrama arid tragic comedy.

Question 12.
What is the responsibility of the younger generation ?
Answer:
The younger generation should uphold the torch of cultural unity for the rest of the world to see, follow and emulate, and not get dazed by the superficial prosperity and material achievement of the West.

Section – B : Vocabulary & Grammar

(Q.13 – 17):

(A) Read the following passage given below. Five sentences in the passage are numbered from 13 to 17 at the beginning. Each of these sentences has an error. Correct them and rewrite the sentences in your answer booklet.

I was born into a middle – class Tamil family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras State. (13) My father, Jainulabdeen, neither much formal education nor much wealth; despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. (14) He had ideal helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma. (15) I do not the exact number of people she fed every day. But I am quite certain that far more outsiders ate with us than all the members of our own family put together.

(16) I was one of the children – a short boy with rather looks, born to tall and handsome parents. We lived in our ancestral house, which was built in the middle of the nineteenth century. (17) It was a fairly,large house , made of limestone and brick, on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram. My austere father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all necessities were provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. In fact, I would say mine was a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally.
Answer:
13. My father, jainulabdeen, had neither much formal education nor much wealth;
14. He had an ideal helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma.
15. I do not recall the exact number of people she fed every day.
16. I was one of the children – a short boy with rather undistlnguShed looks, born to tall and handsome parents.
17. It was a fairly large pucca house, made of limestone and brick, on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram.

(B) Read the following passage given below. Five sentences in the passage are numbered from 13 to 17 at the beginning. Each of these sentences has an error. Correct them and rewrite the sentences in your answer booklet.

Our area, being isolated, was completely unaffected by the War. (13) But soon India forced to join the Allied Forces and something like a state of emergency was declared. (14) The first casualty came in the form of the suspend of the train halt at Rameswaram station. (15) The newspapers now had to be bundle and thrown out from the moving train on the Rameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi, (16) That forced my cousin Samsuddin, distributed newspapers in Rameswaram, to look for a helping hand to catch the bundles and, as if naturally, I filled the slot. (17) Samsuddin helped me to earning my first wages.
Answer:
13. India was forced to Join
14. in the form of the suspension of the train halt
15. had to be bundled
16. Samsuddin, who distributed
17. helped me earn my first wages

(C) Read the following passage given below. Five sentences in the passage are numbered from 13 to 17 at the beginning. Each of these sentences has an error. Correct them and rewrite the sentences in your answer booklet.

(13) He bluntly asked the teacher either to apologize or quit the school and the island. (14) Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour and the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher. (15) On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of difference social groups. (16) However, my science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer, though an orthodox Brahmin with a very conservation wife, was something of a rebel. (17) He did his best to break social barriers so that people from varying backgrounds could mingle easy.
Answer:
13. teacher to either apologize
14. behaviour but the strong sense
15. of different social groups
16. a very conservative wife
17. could mingle easily

(D) Read the following passage given below. Five sentences in the passage are numbered from 13 to 17 at the beginning. Each of these sentences has an error. Correct them and rewrite the sentences in your answer booklet.

(13) We, Indians, are proud to a strong nation,
Our roots, we declare, cannot be shaken.
(14) Then why these fights,
which leave us in plight?
(15) Irrespective of our region,
Forget the castes,
which makes us our charm.
(16) Let’s the selfish call of each region,
and listen for once to the call of the nation.
(17) do we spend our time bickering
when so many tasks need finishing?
Answer:
13. We, Indians, are proud to be strong nation,
our roots, we declare cannot be shaken.
14. Then why these fights,
which leave us in por plight?
15. Irrespective of our region,
forget the castes,
which makes us Ia&e our charm.
16. Let’s ignare the selfish call of each region,
and listen for once to the call of the nation.
17. Why do we spend our time bickering
when so many tasks need finishing?

(E) Read the following passage given below. Five sentences in the passage are numbered from 13 to 17 at the beginning. Each of these sentences has an error. Correct them and rewrite the sentences in your answer booklet.

(13) Don’t we have better things to do
than indulge in problems anew?
(14) Is all this violence needed
with the people being ?
(15) will return this only son
whom she loves a ton?
(16) Who will track his brother
whose ashes he is still to gather?
Where has all the love gone
(17) which in the heart of all?
There is no reason to be proud,
and be on high cloud.
Answer:
13. Don’t we have better things to do
than indulge in creating problems anew?
14. Is all this violence needed
with the people being cheated?
15. Who will return this only son
whom she loves a ton?
16. Who will bring back his brother
whose ashes is still to gather?
17. which resided in the heart of all?

(F) Read the following passage given below. Five sentences in the passage are numbered from 13 to 17 at the beginning. Each of these sentences has an error. Correct them and rewrite the sentences in your answer booklet.

(13) India has most races, castes, sub-castes, nationalities and communities, but the heart of India is one. (14) We are all hairs to a common and rich culture. (15) Our cultural heritage consists our art and literature as they flourished centuries ago. (16) Our cultural heritage serves as a bond of unity between people of different faiths and creeds. (17) The streams of different cultures have flow into our subcontinent to make us what we are and what we will be.
Answer:
13. India has many races
14. We are all heirs
15. heritage consists of our art
16. as a bond of unity
17. cultures have flowed.

(G) Read the following passage given below. Five sentences in the passage are numbered from 13 to 17 at the beginning. Each of these sentences has an error. Correct them and rewrite the sentences in your answer booklet.

(13) A significant move to project India’s cultural unity has the holding of Festivals oflndia in various parts of the world. (14) The West is fast inclining towards our spiritual values include meditation and contemplation, charity and love, universal brotherhood and fear of God, piety and unselfishness, control of passions and peace of mind. (15) Our cultural unity is farther exemplified by the temples of the South and of Khajuraho, the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, which areshining examples of India’s proficiency in sculpture and architecture. (16) Our music has come enjoy worldwide popularity. (17) Indian classical music, like the Indian dances, are built on the concept of ragas and talas.
Answer:
13. has been the holding
14. spiritual values which include
15. cultural unity is further exemplified
16. Our music has come to enjoy
17. Indian dances, is built on

(H) Read the following passage given below. Five sentences in the passage are numbered from 13 to 17 at the beginning. Each of these sentences has an error. Correct them and rewrite the sentences in your answer booklet.

(13) Each raga regarded appropriate to a certain time of the day or the night. (14) There are believe to about 250 ragas in common use in the North as well as in the South. (15) In the modern times, people like Ravi Shankar have taken Indian music to the West and thus bridged the gap among the music of the East and the West. (16) Other significance features of India’s cultural unity are the variety, colour and the emotional richness of its dances. (17) The country abounds in tribal dances, old-dances but classical dances of great virtuosity.
Answer:
13. Each raga is regarded
14. There are believed to be about 250 ragas.
15. the gap between the music
16. Other signìficant features
17. old-dances as well as (and) classical dances

(Q.18 – 22):

(A) Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in the box. Write the answers in your answer booklet.

wealth, interesting, so, neither, innate, popularity, ideal, spirit

My father, Jainulabdeen had neither (18) much formal education nor much wealth (19); despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate (20) wisdom and a true generosity of spirit (21). He had an ideal (22) helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma.

(B) Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in the box. Write the answers in your answer booklet.

social, happy, realise, educational, sad, stomach, by, with, go

The new teacher could not stomach (18) a Hindu priest’s son sitting with (19) a Muslim boy. In accordance with our social (20) ranking as the new teacher saw it, I was asked to go (21) and sit on the back bench. I felt very sad (22), and so did Ramanadha Sastry.

(C) Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in the box. Write the answers in your answer booklet.

longing, happiness, through, my, love, out of, your; are

“Your children are not your (18) children. They are (19) the sons and daughters of Life’s longing (20) for itself. They come through (21) you but not from you. You may give them your love (22) but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts.”

(D) Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in the box. Write the answers in your answer booklet.

removed, many, strong, shaken, destroy, region, forget

We, Indians, are proud to be a strong (18) nation,
our roots, we declare, cannot be shaken (19).
Then why these fights, which leave us in poor plight?
Irrespective of our region,
forget (20) the castes,
which makes us lose our charm.
Let’s ignore the selfish call of each region (21)
and listen for once to the call of the nation.
Why do we spend our time bickering
when so many (22) tasks need finishing?

(E) Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in the box. Write the answers in your answer booklet.

collect, do, on, gather, will return, proud, boast

Don’t we have better things to do (18)
than indulge in creating problems a new?
Is all this violence needed
with the people being cheated?
Who return (19) this only son
whom she loves a ton?
Who will bring back his brother
whose ashes he is still to gather (20) ?
Where has all the love gone
which resided in the heart of all?
There is no reason to be proud (21),
and be on (22) high cloud.

(F) Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in the box. Write the answers in your answer booklet.

sought, a, achieve, are, beliefs

India, a country of many ethnic groups, is a (18) land of myriad languages, a veritable babel of tongues and numerous modes of apparel. For the most part, the continental dimensions of the country account for these variations and diversities. Besides, there are (19) several religions, sects and beliefs (20). But there are certain common links and uniting bonds that people have sought (21) to develop in order to achieve (22) the eminently desirable goal of unity amidst diversity.

(G) Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in the box. Write the answers in your answer booklet.

the, experience, common, justify, has

From his long and first-hand experienced (18) in India, Vincent A. Smith says that the civilisation of India” has (19) many features which differentiate it from that of the other regions of the (20) world, while they are common (21) to the whole country in degree sufficient to justify (22) its treatment as a unity in the history of human, social and intellectual development.”

(H) Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in the box. Write the answers in your answer booklet.

come, as, recognised, but, understood

India has one hundred and fifty dialects, and twenty two recognised (18) regional languages, but (19) Hindi, like English, has cone (20) to stay as the lingua franca of our nation. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Mumbai to Nagaland, Hindi is now understood (21) and is recognised as (22) the national language of India.

(Q. 23 – 27):

(A) Some words/sentences in the following passage are underlined. Rewrite them as directed in your answer booklet.

I was born into a middle – class Tamil family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras State. My father, Jainulabdeen, had either (23) much formal education nor much wealth; despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He had an ideal helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma. I do not recall the exact number of people she fed every day, but I am quite certain (24) that far more outsiders ate with us than all.the members of our own family put together.

I was one of the children – a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. We lived (25) in our ancestral house, which was built in the middle of the nineteenth century. It was a fairly large pucca house made of limestone and brick, on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram. My austere(26) father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all necessities were provided(27) for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. In fact, I would say mine was a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally.

Question 23.
Use the right word in the place of the word underlined.
Answer:
Neither

Question 24.
What is the opposite of the word underlined.
Answer:
doubtful

Question 25.
Name the part of speech of the underlined.
Answer:
verb

Question 26.
What is the synonym of the word austere ?
Answer:
serve, stern, strict

Question 27.
Name the voice of the underlined words ?
Answer:
passive voice

(B) Some words/sentences in the following passage are underlined. Rewrite them as directed in your answer booklet.

One day when I am(23) in the fifth standard at the Rameswaram Elementary School, a new teacher came to our class. I used to wear a cap which marked me as a Muslim(24), and I always sat in the front row next to Ramanadha sastry, who wore the sacred thread. The new teacher could not stomach(25) a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy. In accordance with our social ranking as the new teacher saw it, I was asked to go and sit on the back bench. I felt very sad, and so did Ramanadha Sastry. He looked utterly downcast(26) as I shifted to my seat in the last row. The image of him weeping when I shifted to the last row left(27) a lasting impression on me.

Question 23.
Write the correct form of the verb (here-be-form).
Answer:
was

Question 24.
Name the part of speech of the underlined word.
Answer:
Was

Question 25.
Write the synonym of the word underlined.
Answer:
tolerate; endure

Question 26.
What is the antonym of the word downcast ?
Answer:
glad or happy

Question 27.
Write other forms of the word underlined ?
Answer:
leave – left – left

On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid (23) in terms of the segregation (24) of different social groups. However, my science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer, though an orthodox (25) Brahmin with a very conservative (26) wife, was something of a rebel. He did his best to break social barriers so that people from varying (27) backgrounds could mingle easily. He used hours with me and would say, “Kalam, I want you to develop so that you are on par with the highly educated people of the big cities.”

Question 23.
Give the antonym of the word.
Answer:
flexible

Question 24.
What is meant by the word underlined ?
Answer:
isolation/separation

Question 25.
What is the antonym of the word?
Answer:
heterodox

Question 26.
Write the synonym of the word.
Answer:
holding traditional values

Question 27.
Replace the word with a suitable one.
Answer:
different

(D) Some words/sentences in the following passage are underlined. Rewrite them as directed in your answer booklet.

He told me as if thinking aloud, “Abul! I know you have to go away to grow. Does the seagull not fly across the sun, alone (23) and without a nest?.” He quoted (24) Khalil Gibran to my hesitant (25) mother, “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through (26) you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts (27), for they have their own thoughts.”

Question 23.
Write the other form of the underlined.
Answer:
lonely

Question 24.
What is the meaning of the word ?
Answer:
recited/repeated

Question 25.
Write the antonym of the underlined.
Answer:
confident

Question 26.
What is the part of speech of underlined ?
Answer:
preposition

Question 27.
Write other form of the underlined word.
Answer:
thoughtful

(E) Some words/sentences in the following passage are underlined. Rewrite them as directed in your answer booklet.

India, a country of many ethnic (23) groups, is a land of myriad languages, a veritable babel of tongues and numerously (24) modes of apparel. For the most part, the continental dimnesions of the country account for these variations and deversities. Besides, there are several religions, sects and beliefs. But there are certain common links and uniting bonds that people have sough to develop in order to achieve the eminently desirable goal of unity among (25) diversity.

It is true that superficial observers are likely to be bewildered by the astonishing variety of Indian life. They fail to invent(26) the one in many, the individual in the aggregate; the simple in the composite. With them the whole is lost in its parts. What is needed is the superior(27) interpretation, synthesis of the power of the mind that can give rise to a vision of thee whole.

Question 23.
Write word that gives similar meaning of the underlined word.
Answer:
cultural

Question 24.
Write the correct form of the word underlined.
Answer:
numerous

Question 25.
Replace the underlined word with a suitable one.
Answer:
amidst

Question 26.
Replace the underlined word with a suitable one.
Answer:
discover

Question 27.
Write the word that opposite in meaning of the underlined.
Answer:
inferior

(F) Some words/sentences in the following passage are underlined. Rewrite them as directed in your answer booklet. (June 2018)

India has many races, castes, subcastes, nationalities and communities, but the heart of India is one. We are all heirs to a common and rich culture. Our cultural heritage serves as a bond of unity (23) between people of a wide varity of (24) faiths and creeds.

There was (25) Dravidians in India before the come (26) of the Aryans and Hinduism is a blend (27) of the cultures of the North and the South.

Question 23.
Write the antonym of the underlined word.
Answer:
diversity/disunity

Question 24.
Replace the underlined phrase with a suitable word.
Answer:
different/many/divergent/several/multiple

Question 25.
Replace the underlined word with a correct one.
Answer:
were

Question 26.
Write the correct form of the underlined word.
Answer:
coming

Question 27.
Write the synonym of the underlined word.
Answer:
combination/mixture/mix

(G) Some words/sentences in the following passage are underlined. Rewrite them as directed in your answer booklet.

The streams of difference (23) cultures have flowed into our subcontinent to make us what, we are and what we will be. There were Dravidians in India before the coming of the Aryans and Hinduism is a blend of the cultures of the North and a (24) south.

India has one hundred and fifty dialects (25) and twenty two recognised regional (26) languages, but Hindi, like English, has come to stay as the lingua franca of our nation. From Kashmir to Kanaya kumari and from Mumbai to Nagaland, Hindi is now understood and is recognised as the nation (27) language of India.

Question 23.
Write the correct form of the word underlined that fits in the context.
Answer:
difference

Question 24.
Replace the underlined word with the correct article.
Answer:
the

Question 25.
Write the word that has the similar meaning of the underlined word.
Answer:
languages

Question 26.
Write the word that is opposite in meaning of the underlined word.
Answer:
national

Question 27.
Replace the underlined word with the correct form.
Answer:
national

(H) Other significant (23) features of India’s cultural unity (24) are the variety, colour and the emotion (25) richness of its dances. The country abounds in tribal dances, old- dances as well as classical dances of great virtuosity. Throughout India, dance is regarded not merely as a (26) accompaniment to social inter-course,but also as a mode of aesthetic expression blit (27) spiritual realization.

Question 23.
Write the word that has the similar meaning of the underlined word.
Answer:
important

Question 24.
Write the opposite word of the underlined one.
Answer:
disagreement

Question 25.
Write the suitable form of the underlined word.
Answer:
emotional

Question 26.
Replace the underlined word with the correct article.
Answer:
an

Question 27.
Replace the underlined word with a suitable one.
Answer:
and

Section – C : Creative Writing (Discourses)

(Q. 28):

(A) In the lesson, ‘My Childhood’, the autobiography of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, you have read about the ill-treatment meted out to Kalam.
Recall that episode and write a script for a short play based on it. You may include the following details.

The new teacher asking Kalam to sit on the back bench.
Kalam and Ramanadha Sastry feeling utterly downcast.
Their complaining to their parents against the teacher.
Lakshmana Sastry summoning the teacher.
The teacher regretting his behaviour.
Answer:
Title of the Play Script: My childhood – A Day I Got Separated from My Friend
Scene (Location/Setting) : i) A School Classroom
ii) A House (Ramanadha Sastrys parents’ house)
iii) A House (Kalam’s parents’ house)
Characters : i) The New Teacher
ii) Kalam
iii) Ramanadha Sastry
iv) Lakshmana Sastry
v) Kalam’s father
vi) 20 to 30 pupils of 5th standard
(It is the fifth standard classroom, Rameswaram elementary school. The pupils are sitting in the,classroom. The new teacher enters the room.)
Pupils : Good morning, sir
Teacher : Good morning, students.
I am, your new English teacher. Now introduce yourselves. (Kalam, Ramanadha Sastry and one or two pupils sit in the front row. They introduce themselves.)
Teacher : Wait, wait. Your name is Kalam and you wear a cap. Are you a Muslim ?
Kalam : Yes, sir.
Teacher : 1f so, how can you sit beside a Brahmin ?
Kalam : Why can’t ¡ , sir ? He is my close friend.
Teacher : No, no, you shouldn’t sit here. Go and sit on the last bench.
Ramanadha Sastry : But, why are you asking him to go there ? He always sits beside me. Please, sir, don’t
get us separated.
Teacher : Kalam, you must go to the last row.
Kalam : O.K. sir. (heavily)
(Kalam sits in the last row. Both the friends are utterly downcast. They go to their homes in the evening.)
(It is the house of Kalam. Enter Kalam.)
Kalam’s lather : Why are you looking so sad, my son ?
Kalam : Today, a new teacher came to our class.
Kalam’s father : So, What ?
Kalam : He separated me from my close friend Ramanadha Sastry. He made me sit in the last row. You know dad, I always sit beside Sastry only.
Kalam’s father : But, why did he ask you to sit there in the last row ?
Kalam : I think, it’s because of our religion. You know Sastry is a Hindu. The teacher couldn’t see it and made us separated. I hate our new teacher.
Kalam’s father : Don’t be so sad. I shall come to your school tomorow and talk with your teacher.
(It is the house of Ramanadha Sastry. Enters Ramanadha Sastry.)
Lakshmana Sastry : Why are you looking dull, my son ?
Ramanadha Sastry : A new teacher separated my close friend, Kalam from me. I don’t like him at all.
Lakshmana Sastry : But, Why ?
Ramanadha Sastry : He could not stomach a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy, In accordance with our social ranking as the new teacher saw it, Kalam was asked to sit on the back bench. So Kalam shifted to his seat in the last row. You know dad, I always sit beside my friend, Kalam.
Lakshmana Sastry : Don’t worry, I shall come to your school to talk with him.
Ramanadha Sastry : Thank you, dad.
(The next day Lakshmana Sastry calls the new teacher.)
Lakshmana Sastry : Good morning sir.
Teacher : Good morning; what can I do for you sir ?
Lakshmana Sastry : Are you the new teacher ?
Teacher : Yes, sir.
Lakshmana Sastry : I am Ramanadha Sastry’s father. Why did you separate Kalam from my son ? They are good friends.
Teacher : Kalam is a Muslim and you are a Brahmin.
Lakshmana Sastry : You shouldn’t spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children.
Teacher : But, sir
Lakshmana Sastry : You should either apologize or quit the school and this place.
Teacher : I am very sorry. My apologies to you. I wont repeat it, sir.
Lakshmana Sastry : That’s good.

(B) In the autobiography of the former President, Late Abdul Kalam, ‘My Childhood’, the new teacher asked about Abdul Kalam to sit in the last row instead of sitting in the front row next to Ramanadha Shastry. Both of them felt sad.

Now, Write an imaginary conversation between the friends; Abdul Kalam and Ramanadha Shasry about the behavior of the new teacher. (June 2018)
Answer:
A conversation between Kalam and Ramanadha Sastry:

Kalam : Today I am very sad at what our new teacher has done.
Ramanadha Sastry : I an very upset too. I don’t understand what’s wrong with the teacher.
Kalam : I don’t understand the teacher’s attitude too. Till now no one had ever objected to our sitting together.
Ramanadha Sastry : Yes. But why does this teacher object us?
Kalam : I think our new teacher looked at me wearing a cap and you a sacred thread. It doesn’t take him long to understand that I am Muslim and you are Hindu.
Ramanadha Sastry : May be, he didn’t like it and asked you to sit at the last bench. This made me sad and downcast. As a teacher he should not do such things.
Kalam : Yes. This action of the new teacher amounted to spreading the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance. This really broke my heart as such things had never been known earlier among us in the island,
Ramanadha Sastry : But I don’t want to accept this action of our new teacher as it amounts to breaking communal harmony of all castes, religions and faiths here.
Kalam : I don’t want to accept his action too as we have been living like a big family.
Ramanadha Sastry : I am surely going to complain about this to my parents.
Kalam : Yes. I will do the same too. Our parents always feel proud of living in complete harmony.
Ramanadha Sastry : Let us hope we shall sit together by tomorrow with the help of our parents.
Kalam : I wish the same too. OK, bye.
Ramanadha Sastry : Bye. We shall meet tomorrow with a new hope that everything will settle by tomorrow.

(C) You have read the lesson ‘My Childhood’. In that lesson, you have read that when Kalam wanted to go to Ramanadhapuram for higher studies, Kalam’s mother was hesitant, Kalam’s father tried to console and comfort her.
Write a possible conversation between Kalam’s mother and father in this context.
Answer:
Mother : Kalam wants to go to Ramanathapuram.
Father : I know. He has already told me.
Mother : I am not prepared to live without him.
Father : You should understand his needs.
Mother : What happens If he doesn’t go for higher studies ?
Father : It is his desire. We should understand him.
Mother : Anyhow, I don’t like to send him to Ramanathapuram. What would you like to say ?
Father : I cannot ask him to stay with us. I know Kalam can become a great man.
Mother : Don’t you understand the mothers heart ?
Father : I can understand. But you should understand that your children are not your children. They are the Sons and daughter of Life’s longing for itself.
Mother : Can’t we make Kalam educate from our vIllage ?
Father : It’s not possible. You should understand that you can give him your love but not your thoughts. He has his own thoughts.
Mother : 0k! I need some more time to be comforted.
Father : 0k! Take your own time.
Mother : May God give him bright future !
Father : Certainly. God would give him bright future.

(D) In the lesson ‘My Childhood’, you must have read about the annual Sri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony when Kalam’s family arranged the boats to Rama Tirtha.
Describe the ceremony in your own words.
Answer:
Though Rameswaram was a small town, the people celebrate the Kalyana Mahotsavam of Lord Rama and Sita in a grand manner. All the people of Rameswaram, irrespective of their religion congregate at Lord Rama’s temple. There is shehnai, dholak and all other bands to take Lord Rama on procession. The temple chariot is elegantly decorated with flowers and garlands for the procession of Lord Rama and Sita.

The Idols, kept on the heads of the couple of endowment department are grandly and carefully lodged in the chariot amidst the praises and laurels of Lord Sri Rama. They were toured in the streets of Rameswaram. Huge gatherings follow the charlot and some hold the ropes tied to the chariot with great respect and devotion. The deities are honoured and offerings are made by people, throughout the procession.

The idols of Lord Rama and Sita carried in my father’s boat and some elite people accompany the deities to Rama Tirtha where the Kalyana Mahotsavam is celebrated. The other devotees follow the boat to the Tirtha and the occasion of Kalyanam (marriage) is performed in a pompous and grandeur style. The people in thousands view the occasion thinking It ¡s their greatest fortune to indulge in such ceremonious and festive celebration.

(E) Once Kalam was invited to his science teacher’s house for a meal. The science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer told his wife about this for which she strongly opposed due to her orthodoxy.
Taking this incident as the main theme write a skit recalling the incident in the text ‘My Childhood’.
Answer:
Sivasubramanla Iyer leaves his slippers outside and enters his house. His wife in the kitchen, saw him, ran out to hand over a mugful of water to wash his legs.

Iyer : Thank you, dear. Have you finished cooking ?
Wife : Not yet, t shall serve you within fifteen minutes.
lyer : No hurry. I’ll wait because we have a guest today.
Wife : May I know who he is ?
Iyer : He is known to you. Today my dearest student Kalam will accompany me for meal.
Wife : What ! Are you going to dine with him ; a Muslim ?
Iyer : Why not ? Forget about the caste and religious segregations,
Wife : Don’t you remember we belong to a staunch orthodox family ?
tyer : Any how I have decided to do it.
Wife : I can’t beer sitting a Muslim in my Kitchen
Iyer : We can eat together In our front room
WIfe : Do as a you wish. But I can’t serve a Muslim
Iyer : No problem. Myself, I can do it. (Iyer serve and they ate together)

(F) Robert is a foreigner, who has come to visit India and eager to know about her great culture. He asks Vikram, a famous tourist guide to tell him about the greatness of India.
Write a possible conversation between the visitor and the guide.
Answer:
Robert : I want to know about the greatness of India and her culture. Please tell me.
Vikram : With pleasure. Unity in diversity is the main characteristic feature of India. Here are many religious, regions, customs and languages but all of us are living together for centuries. Though there may be minor disputes all of us are united and all of us are Indians.
Robert : Its really a great thing that crores of people with so many diversities are living together. Please tell me about your cultural heritage.
Vikram : We are inheritors of several grand treasures in the fields of music, fine arts, dance, drama and sculpture.
Robert : What about your traditions ?
Vikram : Our sage and seers have left behind a tradition of piety, penance, spiritual greatness, tolerence and conquest of passion etc.
Robert : Tell me about your spiritual values.
Vikram : Our spiritual values Include meditation and contemplation, charity and love, universal brotherhood etc.
Robert : Thank you very much sir. I have to leave
Vikram : Always welcome to you, for your great Interest.

(Q – 29) :

(A) In the lesson ‘My Childhood’, you must have read about the simplicity of Kalam’s family. Imagine you are Kalam and write a diary entry on your family’s upbringing.
Answer:
12th August 1939
7 pm.

I am fortunate to be born to these noble parents. My father, though being with less education has inculcaated high qualities in all of us. He has been an exemplar for me and to the other siblings with his generosity, wisdom and truthfulness. I adore him for his simple life and high thinking. My mother is an ideal partner throughout his life respecting his Ideologies and principles. She is patient, considerate and kind to everyone. She has been a good mother, life partner and host. Her hospitality, and smiling attire allures all.

My parents never found any difference between me and my brothers. Is it not so nice of them ? My father never cared for wealth and never Imposed any rules or restrictions on us. Though we lead a very simple life, we are happy and contented with what we have. We inherited all these characteristic features from our father. It is god’s grace we had such ideal couple as our parents.

Thank you God, for everything !

Kalam

(B) In the lesson ‘My Childhood’, you have read that the new teacher in Kalam’s school, didn’t allow Kalam to sit next to his close friend Ramanadha Sastry. This amazed every student in the class.
Imagine that you were one of the students and write a diary entry about the incident.
Answer:
12th, August
Monday
9 pm

It was a very strange day today ! Something unexpected has happened in our school life. Ramanadha and Kalam were such a intimate friends in the whole school. And everybody was aware of it. But today, the new teacher has tried to break their friendship.

All of us in the class were shocked to hear the new teacher asking Kalam to take the back seat because he is a Muslim. How mean of him ! Till today, there was no such discrimination made in the class. Even Rama’s father or Kalam’s father never found fault with the friendship of their sons. Rama’s father though being the head priest and also a high caste community member never discouraged or disqualified the mingling of Rama and Kalam.

But today, the new teacher humiliated Kalam sitting In the first row with Ramanadha. I could see the tears In Rama’s eyes. I can’t look Into the face of Kalam. It was so pathetic ! For five years, I have been observing Rama and Kalam moving together. This teacher should have at least waiter for a time to know the intimate relationship of both. I am very sorry for both of our friends.

Lokanadhan
V Class

(C) The poet, in his poem, “A Plea for India”, says that we are proud to be a strong nation. You have come to know that we need to be more dedicated to make our nation a strong united one.
Now, prepare a message, as an Indian, how we should be to make our country strong and united.
Answer:
We should keep our nation strong and not to disturb the nation with internal disputes – based on caste, religion region, or financial status. Every Indian requested to maintain our unity. We should stop, violence so that we shall become strong. We should not cheat anybody, Our unity is our strength; don’t forget it. Be united and be strong.

TS 10th Class English 7th Lesson Questions and Answers Nation and Diversity

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