Calcutta Boy's School Pre Board Examination -2018-19

Time:2 Hrs English Literature C1:X

Reading Time : 15 minutes Marks: 80

Attempt Five Questions in all from only three text books

You must attempt at least one question from each of the Section A, B and C and not more than
two other questions from the same books you have already compulsorily chosen.

The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ]

Section A- Drama- The Merchant Of Venice

1. Morocco : Mislike me not for my compexion,

The shadowed livery of the burnished sun,

TO whom i am a neighbour and near bred.

Bring me the fariest creature northward born,

Where Phoebus' fire scarce thaws the icicles,

And let us make incision for your love

To prove whose blood is reddest, his or mine.

I tell thee,lady, this aspect of mine

Hath feared the valiant.by my love i swear

The best-regarded virgins of our clime

Have loved it too .I would not change this hue

Except to steal your thoughts , my gentle queen .

PORTIA : In terms of choice i am not sloely led

By nice direction of a maiden's eyes.

Beside,the lottery of my destiny

Bars me the right of voluntary choosing .

 (i) Where is this scene set? Account for Morocco' s presence in this place . (3)

(ii) What can you assess of Morocco's appearence and character based on the given extracr
? (3)

(iii) Mention any three actions that Morocco says he would be happy to perform in order to
win Portia .(3)

(iv) Waht does Morocco has to swear before he makes his “ hazaed”? (3)

(v) Portia speaks of “ the lotteryof my destiny” . Waht exactly is she refering to? What in
your opinion are Portia's feelings regarding this matter ?

Question 2.

Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow:

SHYLOCK: Shall i not receiev my principal ?

PORTIA : Thou shall have nothing but the forfeiture,

To be taken at the peril , Jew.

(i) Expalin what Portia means by the above word . (3)

(ii) How does Shylock respond to her words ? (3)

(iii) What more does Portia tell Shylockabout the laws of Venice as applicable to an
'alien'( foreigner)? (3)

(iv) What does Antonio propose to do with his share of Shylock's goods ?

(v) Waht role does Portia play in this scene ? What does this reveal of her character ?
(4)

Question 3.

Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow:

Antonio : But little I am arm'd and well prepared .

Give me your hand, Bassanio: fare your well!

 Grieve not that i am fallen to this for you;

For herein Fortune shows herself more kind

Than is her custom : it is still her use

To let the wretched man outlive his wealth ,

To view with hollow eye and wrinkled brow

An age of poverty ; from which lingering penance

Of such misery doth she cut me off .

(i) Where is this scene set? To whom are these words addressed? To what question does
Antonio respond with the words,' But little? (3)

(ii) What does Antonio mean what he says,” Grieve not that ihave fallen to this for you? “
(3)

(iii) What does Antonio instruct Bassanio to do immediately after speaking these lines.?(3)

(iv) What is Bassanio's response to this speech ? (3)

(v) On what note does Antonio conclude his speech? What does this reveal of Antonio's
attitude to life and death ?(4)

SECTION B – POETRY

Question 4.

Read the extract given belowand answer the questions that follow :

Their logs held tight in death's still hands

Was proof of human sin .

They didn' die from the cold without

They died from the cold within .

(i) What was the weather like when the six people found themselves together ?

(ii) Why wouldn't the third man put his piece of log in the dying fire?

(iii) What did the black man see in his piece of wood? Give an instance from the poem to
show that hius feelings was somewhat justified .
 (iv) Who among the gathering was an opportunist? How can you say so ?

(v) Would you say that ' The Cold Within” is an apt title for this poem? Give reasons for your
asnwers.

Question 5:

Read the extract given belowand answer the questions that follow :

What does he plants who plants a tree?

He plants a friend of sun and sky .

He plants the flag of breezes free;

The shaft of beauty , towering high;

He plants a home to heaven anigh;

(i) To whom is the poet asking the question in the first line of the extract? Mention
any two things, according to the extract , that man will do by planting trees .

(ii) On what way are the trees friends of sun and sky? How can a man plant the flag
of breezes free?

(iii) What is meant by “ The Shaft Of Beauty”? What is compared to the shaft?

(iv) Give three functions which a tree performs on this earth?

(v) What is the impact of begining the poem with a question ? Comment on the
appropriate title of the poem “ The Heart Of The Tree” ( any two points )

Question 6:

Read the extract given belowand answer the questions that follow :

“ But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare
screams”

(i) What is the “grave of dreams”? Why does a caged bird stand on the grave of
dreams ? Why does this stanza in the extract begi with “BUT” ? (3)

(ii) What is meant by” another breeze” in the poem ? Why does the free bird
 think of another breeze ?(3)

(iii) What is meant by “ fearful trill” mentioned in the following stanzasung by

whom and why is it said to be fearful” ? (3)

(iv) What is the significance of the following line” his shadow shouts on a
nightmare scream” ? (3)

(v) On the basis of the above extract , bring out the main conflict in the poem
?(4)

SECTION B – SHORT STORIES

Question 7:

Read the extract given belowand answer the questions that follow :

“ It's a cruel thing to leave her so”

Then take her to the poorhouse, She'll have to go there ,” answered the blacksmith's
wife , spinning away,and leaving Joe behind,”

(i) Who are having a conversation in the above extract ? What is the main topic
of their conversation ?(3)

(ii) Who was Maggie? Why was she enduring such a painful effort ?(3)

(iii) What thought terrified Maggie? What did she exclaim to Mr Thompson ?(3)

(iv) Why do you think the man stood with a “puzzled air”? What did he do when
he went into the hovel? (3))

(v) What kind of man was Joe Thompson ? (4)

Question 8 :

Read the extract given belowand answer the questions that follow :

“Suddenly all the tension seemed to ebb out of my body asth truth of what he
said hit me”

(i) Why was Owens tensed? What was 'the truth ' that hit Owens? What was
the effetct of this truth on him? (3)
 (ii) Where did Owens go the night he qualified for the finals? Why did he go?
What did he do there ? (3)

(iii) Briefly describe the appearance and accent of the man who guided the
speaker ?(3)

(iv) What was the realisation when Owens finally got up to leave and what was
the outcome of the realisation ?(3)

(v) Briefly state how Luz and Owens performed in the finals ? (4)

Question 9 :

Answer the follwoing with reference to Ernest Hemminmgway's short story,'The Old Man At The
Bridge ',

(i) Explain why the narrator takes so much time to converse with the old
man .Use details from the story to support your answer .

(ii) What statements from the story suggest that the old man is about to
give up on life? Quote specific statements to back your answers.

(iii) How does Hemmingway shows that war disrupts the lives of ordinary
people? Is this portrayal realistic? Explain why you think so.