Kerala Plus One English Model Question Paper 2 with Answers
| Board | SCERT |
| Class | Plus One |
| Subject | English |
| Category | Plus One Previous Year Question Papers |
Time Allowed: 21/2 hours
Cool off time: 15 Minutes
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions to Candidates:
- There is a ‘Cool off time’ of 15 minutes in addition to the writing time of 21/2 hrs.
- You are neither allowed to write your answers nor to discuss anything with others during the ‘cool off time’.
- Read the questions carefully before answering.
- All questions are compulsory and the only internal choice is allowed.
- When you select a question, all the sub-questions must be answered from the same question itself.
- Electronic devices except nonprogrammable calculators are not allowed in the Examination Hall.
Read the following lines and answer the questions given below:
If thou art worn and hard beset
With sorrows that thou wouldst forget
If thou wouldst read a lesson, that will keep
Thy heart from fainting and thy soul from sleep,
Go to the woods and hills! No tears
Dim the sweet look that nature wears
Question 1.
Why does the poet suggest to go to the hills and woods? (1)
Answer:
The poet suggests to go to the hills and woods because they have the sweet looks of Nature which are not dimmed by any tears.
Question 2.
What does the line, “…….. No tears Dim the sweet look that Nature wears”, mean? (1)
Answer:
Nature has a beautiful look and no tears can dim it.
Question 3.
What message do you get from the above lines? (2)
Answer:
When you are tired and find things difficult, when your heart becomes weak and it becomes difficult for you to sleep because of the problems you face, go to the hills and woods where the beautiful Nature will cheer you up.
Question 4.
Choose appropriate words from the box to complete the passage.
Yesterday was a bright sunny weekend. I had the chance to participate in a get together party planned by my friends, (a) ………. I could not go and meet them; ………. (b) I had to finish the back log of work (c) ………. was pending with me. (d) ……… I would have missed a lot of fun with my friends! (4)
Answer:
a) However
b) as
c) that
d) Probably
Question 5 and 6: Read the following excerpt from the story, ‘His First Flight’ and answer the questions.
“The sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scraping his beak now and again to whet it. He uttered a low cackle. His mother cackled too and looked at him”.
Question 5.
Why did the sight of the food madden him? (1)
Answer:
The sight of the food maddened him because he was hungry fora long time and his mother was not giving it to him.
Question 6.
Do you think the attitude of the mother bird is apt for the situation? Give reasons. (2)
Answer:
The attitude of the mother bird is quite apt for the situation. Unless she forced her son to fly out, he would continue staying in the net. The mother bird is very clever and she knows how to draw her fearful son to leave the nest and fly for his food.
Question 7.
Read the following notice. There are mistakes in it. Edit the mistakes. (2)
Answer:
The Nature Club of our school is planning to conduct a two-day “Nature Camp”. Those who wish to participate are requested to contact the Nature Club Convenor.
Question 8.
Maggie visited Mr. Gupta on the day of his departure. They got into a conversation.
Maggie : Are you leaving today?
Mr. Gupta : Yes, Maggie, today is the day of my departure.
Maggie : How long will it take you to reach your country?
Mr. Gupta : A little more than two weeks.
Later Mr. Gupta reported the conversation to his hostess. He began as follows:
Maggie asked me whether I was leaving that day…… How can you help Mr. Gupta report the entire conversation? (3)
Answer:
Maggie asked me whether I was leaving that day. I told her yes. Then she asked me how long it would take me to reach my country. I told her it would take more than two weeks.
Questions (9 – 14) Answer any five of the following questions in not more than 80 words each. Each question carries 4 scores. (5 × 4 = 20)
Question 9.
In the poem ‘To Sleep’ the poet mentions about the three sleepless nights he had. He intensely yearns for a night’s sleep. Have you ever had such sleepless nights? If so, write about the experience. You can begin like this:
If I had slept well ………..
Answer:
If I had slept well, I would not have been so tired and bored with life. I had my share of sleepless nights. Last week I did not sleep for 3 consecutive nights.
The reason for my sleepless nights was my anxiety over the coming annual examinations. My parents force me to study and they threaten me with severe punishments if I did not do well in the examinations. They want me to become a doctor. But I don’t have any liking for that profession. But my parents are insistent and that makes me worried.
I don’t have the courage to tell them openly that I don’t want to take up medicine. The whole night I was worried. And slept evaded me. I could not enjoy the sights and sounds of the morning because I used to be so exhausted from the lack of sleep.
Question 10.
Write a short note on the role played by Jane Hawking in the life of Stephen Hawking.
Answer:
Stephen Hawking was born in January 1942 and died in March 2018. He was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author, who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death. In fact Hawking is a real wonder to the world.
In 1963, he got a rare disease called ‘amyotrophic lateral sclerosis’ for which there is no known cure. The doctors told him he had only 2 years to live. But he did not die. Just before he entered the hospital for tests he met Jane Wilde. She liked his wit. When he came out of the hospital, she felt that he had lost his will to live and he was very confused. Jane was a shy teenager with a strong faith in God. Hawking liked her optimism and their friendship grew.
In 1984 he caught pneumonia and the doctors suggested a tracheotomy operation. This would result in the removal of his windpipe and he would never speak again. Jane reluctantly agreed for the operation. Hawking and Jane had three children. In all the difficulties it was Jane that supported Hawking and all his successes should be attributed to the loving care Jane had given him.
Question 11.
While visiting the Island of Kadavu, you were curious to know more about the place. Frame 4 questions pertaining to the legend, geographical features, life style and culture of the place, which you could possibly ask your tourist guide.
Answer:
- Please tell me the geographical location of Kadavu and its special features.
- What is the legend about the Sacred Turtles of Kadvau?
- Can you tell me in detail about the life style and culture of the people of Kadavu?
- Have you really seen the turtles coming to the surface when the women of Namuana sing, “Do rise to the surface Raudalice and Tinaicoboga so that we may also look at you”?
Question 12.
Mahatma Gandhi entered the Indian political scenario when there was the dire need for good leadership. He exhorted Indians to strive for a twofold action. Explain.
Answer:
When Gandhi came to the Indian political scenario, he was like a current of fresh air. He was like a beam of light that pierced the darkness. He was like a whirlwind that upset many things. His call for action was two-fold. One involved in challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other was fighting against our own social evils.
The principal aims of Gandhi were freedom through peaceful means, national unity, solution of minority problems, improvement of the depressed classes and the ending of untouchability.
Question 13.
Captain Jovis invited the attention of all the passengers when the balloon was ready for the journey. He made a short introductory speech just before the journey. What could be the words spoken by him?
Answer:
Friends, we are ready to take off from La Villette. We can see our hot balloon, Le Horla, getting filled up and is swelling and wriggling like a huge worm. We have Lieutenant Mallet, M. Etierine Beer, M. Paul Bessand and M. Patrice Eyries.
It is a pity that Patrice Eyries has to get down because the balloon can’t take the weight of all the five of us. Sorry Patrice! Maybe next time! Joilet, ask the ladies to keep off as sand will be thrown into their hats as the balloon lifts off. Okay, ready! Let the ropes be cut and let’s go!
Question 14.
Mr. Gupta felt like returning the coin which Maggie had given him to buy flowers. What do you think were his reasons for this?
Answer:
Mr. Gupta felt like returning the coin which Maggie had given him to buy flowers because he thought she had to work very hard, and struggle a lot, to get that much money. Maggie worked as a typist in the Civil Service Stores. Her brother Francis, who was called Frank, was a soldier and he was working in Punjab.
He loved Maggie and Mrs. Clifford, their mother, very much. From India he had sent them a crystal ring, which a yogi had given him. It was supposed to be a magic ring and Frank had written to say that if you concentrated on a distant person and looked into the crystal, you could see him and what he was doing. Unfortunately Frank was killed during a fight. He was buried at Fort Monroe, near Dera Ghazi Khan.
Maggie gave Mr. Gupta a shilling to buy flowers when he went to India and place those flowers at the grave of her brother. Mr. Gupta felt that the shilling she gave him for buying flowers for her dead brother was too much money for her.
Questions (15 – 19) Answer any four of the following questions in not less than 100 words each. Each question carries 5 scores. (4 × 5 = 20)
Question 15.
Write an article explaining the need and importance of investing quality time with family and nature rather than with the social media.
Answer:
Today almost everyone is busy with the social media and they have conveniently forgotten about the importance of face-to-face talk with people at home and outside. Neither children nor parents can find quality time to invest with family and nature. They are busy with WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram or their mobiles or TVs.
A husband comes home after work and immediately he goes to his computer or his mobile and spends time watching the good and bad things in them. He does not even have time to talk with his wife nor to ask how his children are doing at school. The wife is busy with either the mobile or the TV watching unending serials with twists and turns every time keeping her eager to know what happens next.
Children are also busy with their social media activities or listening to music on the mobile. We even see people walking on the roads, wires hanging from their ears! They can’t even say ‘Hello’ to even friends and acquaintances!
Question 16.
Lack of fitness leads to life style diseases among youngsters. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper on this topic.
Answer:
Irinjalakuda
18 June 2018
The Editor
The Indian Express
Kochi
Dear Sir,
Life Style Diseases Among Youngsters
My neighbour, who was only 25 years old, died of heart attack last week. It was shocking to all of us. How could such a young man die at this tender age from a heart attack? The culprit was lack of fitness. Many people spend their time in offices sitting down doing sedentary work. When they come home, they again sit down with their computers or before their TVs. When they travel to even small distances they use their cars, bikes or take a bus. Hardly anyone walks these days. Walking and jogging help people to be fit.
The body becomes less resistant to diseases because of the lack of fitness. There is a modern joke among people. They ask their friends and acquaintances if they have passed the PSC. And PSC means ‘Pressure, Sugar and Cholesterol’. To avoid getting PSC, we must keep our bodies fit.
Question 17.
The Indian Space Research Organization plans to conduct a workshop on the current developments in the field of Information Technology. You get an opportunity to represent your school in the workshop. Draft and email to your friend sharing your thoughts regarding this.
Answer:
[email protected]
Hi Rosy! How are you? I have some good news to give. I am selected to represent our school in a workshop conducted by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It is a 3-day workshop and it will be conducted at Mascot Hotel Trivandrum. It is on “The Current Developments in the Field of Information Technology.”
Many eminent persons from abroad are also taking part in the Workshop. Each day something new is happening in the IT field and the world is changing at mindboggling speed. Even before you become familiar with and master the latest technology, something fresh comes out and you are left behind. The latest craze is about Artificial Intelligence (Al). It is intelligence demonstrated by machines in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals.
Recently I also heard about “eye-tracking” technology which can replace the use of modems and touch-screen technology. I am sure I will learn a lot of new things. I will let you know more when I return. Bye!
Question 18.
‘Action speaks louder than words. Good deeds will be remembered forever’. Write a paragraph about this, supporting your arguments with the help of ideas from the poem, ‘Death the Leveller’.
Answer:
Actions do speak louder than words. Today we hear many people asking others to do good things but they themselves do not act the way they preach. Political leaders and religious leaders go on preaching about the need to do good but they don’t seem to practise what they say. But look at people like Gandhi and Mother Theresa.
They did a lot of things instead of making empty speeches. They believed in action and not in words. That is why posterity remembers them even so any years after their death. Some people go on amassing wealth and they hardly do any good to others. They forget that they won’t carry the wealth with them when they die.
It will be their good actions that will be remembered. We should not forget that we came to this world empty handed and we will go from this world empty handed. So it is better to do some good things so that we will be gratefully remembered by the living.
Question 19.
Sketch the character of Hasan in ‘The Serang of Ramaganji’.
Answer:
Hasan was the serang of Ranaganji, a passenger ship sailing to Calcutta with nearly 1500 passengers. The Chief Physician on the ship was A.J. Cronin. When Cronin reported to the captain of the ship that two lascar deck hands had small pox, Hasan volunteered to nurse them. He made a shelter in the stern of the ship into which the infected persons were removed. Later there were more people and the number of the sick went up to 14.
When two sick men who were Hindus died, Hasan sewed their shrouds and read loud a short passage from the Ramayana, although he himself was a devout Muslim. It showed his religious tolerance. Their bodies were cast overboard. When the ship reached Colombo, the sick men were taken to the hospital and Hasan was in the forefront to help them, although some of them were with running sores of smallpox.
Normally no one would dare to do such things because small pox used to be such a killer disease. Hasan is a good example for a selfless, courageous, and sacrificing person and it is hard to find such people who will risk their life to save others.
Questions (20 – 23) Answer any three of the following each in not more than 250 words. Each question carries 8 scores. (3 × 8 = 24)
Question 20.
As a newsreporter, you are present at the venue to report the trip of the hot air balloon, Le-Horla. Prepare a report about the manoeuvre and the rise of the balloon.
Answer:
La Vilette, Paris: July 8 – Today the hot air balloon Le Horla took off from here. The event was much publicised and many people came to witness it. They had not seen such hot balloon take offs and they thought they would have an exhilarating experience. Their faces were lit with joy and enthusiasm and they were talking among themselves about the possible sight they were going to witness. They were more ladies than men among the spectators.
First of all, the hot air balloon, Le Horla, got filled up with air. As it was getting filled up, it was swelling and wriggling like a giant worm. It was quite a pleasant sight. There were nearly 300 people waiting there to watch the take-off of Le Horla. The captain was Jovis.
There were four others in the basket who were to fly with Jovis in the balloon. They were Lieutenant Mallet, M. Etierine Beer, M. Paul Bessand, and M. Patrice Eyries. Prior to the take off they were talking animatedly. M. Patrice Eyries came out of the balloon because the balloon could not carry the weight of all of them. He was walking away dejectedly. All felt sorry for him. All his dream of an adventure was gone.
M. Joilet told the ladies standing near the balloon to keep off as sand would be thrown into their hats when the balloon lifted. He cut the ropes that held the balloon to the ground. Soon the balloon was rising upward. It was a like a bird lifting off. Up, up and up went the balloon. People standing around screamed with joy. Some were clapping and jumping. Soon Le Horla climbed above the city of Paris and it slowly disappeared from sight.
Question 21.
“Pursuing happiness in this world is like chasing our own shadow”. Write an essay on how Chekhov substantiates this view in the story ‘Gooseberries’.
Answer:
“Pursuing happiness in this world is like chasing our own shadow.” This is very true because we can never catch up with our shadows. When we move the shadows also move and therefore we can never get hold of them and they remain elusive. Anton Chekhov’s “Gooseberries” substantiates this view of things. The story is essentially a satire on man’s search for happiness.
Happiness can be achieved in life by getting your dreams realized. Happiness differs from person to person. One man’s meat is another man’s poison and one man’s religion is another man’s madness. There are no common criteria for happiness, Prayer, sacrifice, fasting and abstinence may make some people happy. Some may be happy with eating and drinking and some may be happy with singing and dancing or loving. Some are happy when they are rich and successful.
In the story “Gooseberries” we see two brothers – Ivan and Nicholai – seeking to be happy. Ivan is a veterinary doctor and Nicholai is an official at the Exchequer. Nicholai is two years younger than Ivan. Nicholai is fed up with his job – sitting in the same place and writing^out the same documents. His dreams were centred round a farmhouse with a garden, an orchard, a fishpond and above all a gooseberry bush.
He lives like a miser to get his ideal place. He even marries an old ugly widow to fulfill his dream. In the end he buys an estate with a farmhouse but it had no orchard, no duck-pond and no gooseberry bush. He plants some gooseberry bushes in his new estate. His joy in life is going on eating the gooseberries his gooseberry bushes produce.
Time passed. After many years Ivan wanted to visit his brother Nicholai in his estate. For Ivan, freedom was the essence of happiness. When Ivan saw him Nicholai looked old, stout and flabby. His cheeks, nose and lips were hanging loosely. Nicholai said he was doing very well. He took Ivan to see his estate.
In the evening when they were having tea, the cook laid a plateful of gooseberries on the table. They were from Nicholai’sfarm, plucked for the first time since the bushes were planted. Nicholai laughed with joy and for a minute or two. He looked at the gooseberries with tears in his eyes.
He could not speak for the excitement. He said they were good and asked Ivan to try one. The gooseberry was hard and sour but Ivan saw a happy man whose dearest dream had come true. A happy man bears his burden in silence. Without that, happiness would be impossible.
Question 22.
The poem ‘If’ describes the traits of a perfect man. Keeping in mind the views and perspectives of the poet, draft a speech on the topic “Importance of Values in Human Life”.
Answer:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today I am going to talk about the Importance of Values in Human Life. There are certain values which we should always keep in our life. Just going on earning money, buying all kinds of luxurious goods, eating and drinking lavishly and merrymaking do not make a good life.
Of course there are the Epicureans who believe in the axiom “Eat, Drink and be Merry!” But these things alone do not constitute the ingredients of a happy and successful life. Here comes the importance of values.
We have to maintain our coolness when people around have lost it and blame us for the situation. Trust yourself when the people doubt you, but give allowance for their doubting. Don’t be tired of waiting. When people tell you lies, don’t follow their examples. People may hate you, but you should not hate them. Don’t try to look too good and don’t try to look too wise.
You should dream, but you must not make dreams your master. You should be able to view Success and Failure with equanimity. You work hard to get certain things built up. But you may find them broken. Don’t be desperate. Build them up again using the old tools. Don’t go on telling others about your losses. Sometimes you may lose. Losses are part of life and you should not worry too much about your losses.
Continue working and success will still come to you. Walk with kings, but don’t lose the common touch. Neither your friends nor your enemies should be able to hurt you. You should be helpful to all. You should forgive people who have offended you. If you can do all these you will be a happy and contented man because you are maintaining certain values in your life.
Question 23.
Read the poem, ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ by Shel Silverstein and prepare an appreciation of the poem.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
-Shel Silverstein
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins
And there the grass grows soft and white
And there the sun burns crimson bright
And there the moon – bird rests from his flight
To cool in the pepper – mint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow.
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
[Crimson = red; pepper = a spice used for flavoring food; mint = a green spicy leaf; asphalt = a dark mixture of sand or gravel used for surfacing roads.]
Answer:
In the poem Silverstein argues that adults live in a world that is dreary, and that children live in a world full of life and joy. Silverstein is saying that adults need to go to the place that children know. He is telling the adults to take a step back and to take on the point of view of a child to find joy in their life.
Silverstein begins the poem by describing the place where the sidewalk ends. This is a place seen only by the imagination. As he mentions the grass growing “soft and white” and also the “cooling of the peppermint wind,” we know that this is a mental state. Finding the place where the sidewalk ends is not seeing an actual place but reaching a certain mental state.
In the second stanza, the poet says, “Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black and the dark street winds and bends”. He is referring to the world that adults live in. Adults usually stay and work in urban settings. These settings are usually congested, dusty and dirty. There is hardly any freedom and joy in such settings. But there is hope if we leave our usual paths full of pits and reach the world of the children.
In the final stanza Silverstein is saying that we’ll follow the arrows and we’ll go. Yes, we will open our minds and look for the signs to find the place where the sidewalk ends. The children know the place where the sidewalk ends because they know where to find happiness and contentment.
We don’t have to rush there, but walk slowly. In a deeper sense the poet is asking the adults to follow the children. Do what the children do. They naturally know the place where the sidewalk ends.
And in following them you will find the joy and passion for life that they have. Put on the mindset of a child and you will, in turn, find the imagination, joy and innocence that children have. Adult minds have been influenced by the hardships of the world. They must leave behind the black smoke and look beyond the dark streets that come with adulthood in order to truly find the place where the sidewalk ends.
The poem is of 15 lines divided into three stanzas. The first two stanzas have 6 lines each and the 3rd one has 3 lines. The poem is in rhyme. In the first stanza the rhyme scheme is abcccd. There is alliteration in “grass grows” and “blows black”. There is repetition as the phrase ‘the sidewalk ends’ is repeated in all the stanzas. On the whole it is an exquisite, melodious poem that gives a fine message to the readers as to how to find joy and contentment in life.