DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, GREATER NOIDA

MIDTERM EXAMINATION(2021-22)
CLASS IX-ENGLISH

Max Marks: 40 Time: 90 Minutes

General Instructions:
1. All questions are compulsory.
2. All questions of one particular part must be attempted in the correct order.
3. Write full answer along with the option in MCQs.
4. Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary.
Read these instructions very carefully and follow them.
______________________________________________________________________

READING -13 marks

. A. Read the passage carefully:

1. The art of living is learnt easily by those who are positive, observant and optimistic.
From humble and simple people to great leaders in History, Science or Literature, we
can learn a lot about the art of living, by having a peep into their lives, autobiographies
or biographies. The daily routines of these great men not only reveal their different,
may be unique life styles but also help us learn certain habits and practices they
followed. Here are some: read, enjoy and follow in their footsteps as it suits you.

2. A private workplace always helps. Jane Austen asked that a certain squeaky hinge
should never be oiled so that she always had a warning whenever someone was
approaching the room where she wrote. William Faulkner, lacking a lock on his study
door, detached the doorknob and brought it into the room with him. Mark Twain’s
family knew better than to breach his study door-they would blow a horn to draw him
out. Graham Green went even further, renting a secret office; only his wife knew the
address and the telephone number. After all, everyone of us needs a workplace where
we can work on our creation uninterruptedly. Equally we need our private space too!

3. A daily walk has always been a source of inspiration. For many artists, a regular stroll
was essentially a creative inspiration. Charles Dickens famously took three hour walks
every afternoon, and what he observed on them fed directly into his writing.
Tchaikovsky made too with a two – hour jaunt but wouldn’t return a moment early,
convinced that doing so would make him ill. Ludwig van Beethoven took lengthy
strolls after lunch, carrying a pencil and paper with him in case inspiration struck.
Nineteenth century composer Erik Satie did the same on his long hikes from Paris to
the working-class suburb where he lived, stopping under street lamps to jot down ideas
that came on his journey; it’s rumoured that when those lamps were turned off during
the war years, his music declined too. Many great people had limited social life too.
One of Simone be Beauviour’s close friends puts it this way.” There were no
receptions, parties. It was an
 uncluttered kind of life, a simplicity deliberately constructed so that she could do her
work.” To Pablo the idea of Sunday was an “at home day”.

4. The routines of these thinkers are difficult. Perhaps it is because they are so
unattainable. The very idea that you can organize your time as you like is out of reach
for most of us, so I’ll close with a toast to all those who worked with difficulties. Like
Francine Prose, who began writing when the school bus picked up her children and
stopped when it brought them back; or T.S. Eliot, who found it much easier to write
once he had a day job in a bank than he had as a starving poet and even F. Scott
Fitzgerald, whose early books were written in his strict schedule as a young military
officer. Those days were not as interesting as the nights in Paris that came later, but
they were much more productive- and no doubt easier on his liver.

1. On the basis of your understanding of the passage, choose the following

questions by selecting the most appropriate option:
1X8=8

(a) The passage is about…..

(i) the daily routine of the geniuses.
(ii) walking everyday.
(iii) the life of geniuses.
(iv)what we can learn from the routines of geniuses.

(b) The writers in the past……..

(i) followed a perfect daily routine.
(ii) enjoyed the difficulties of life.
(iii) can teach us a lot.
(iv) wrote a lot in their books.

(c) Some artists resorted to walking as it was……

(i) an exercise.
(ii) a creative inspiration.
(iii) essential for improving their health.
(iv) helpful in interaction with others.

(d) Assertion(A) : We can organize our time as we like and can achieve something
that looks so unattainable.
Reason(R): We have example like Francine Prose who would write during the
time when her children were in school.
(i) A is correct and R is the correct explanation of A.
 (ii) A and R are correct but in no way related to each other.
(iii) A is incorrect and R is independent of A.
(iv) A and R are independent opinions.

e. Graham Green’s secret office’s address was only known to his…….

(i) life partner
(ii) business partner
(iii) friends
(iv) no one

f. Find the word from paragraph 3, which means the same as orderly.
(i) creative
(ii) uncluttered
(iii) limited
(iv)lengthy

(g) Charles Dickens took a long walk because it helped him to……
(i) relax
(ii) write
(iii) unwind
(iv) socialize

(h) When the lamps turned off during war time, Erick’s music…..
(i) improved
(ii) became popular
(iii) none of the above
(iv) dwindled

B. Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions:

Just by the use of colours , you can balance your diet. All you need to do is to pay a
little attention to the food you eat. Nutrition experts strongly recommend adding
colours to your diet. Sweets and candy bars are generally colorful but remember they
do not contain natural colours and hence are not healthy. The key to good health is a
variety of naturally-coloured foods. The deeper the colour, the greater the benefits.
Getting more colours in your diet doesn’t mean you have to drastically change your
current eating habits. Have a glass of 100% juice in the morning. Keep a mix of dry
fruits at hand for a quick snack. Grab an apple or a banana. Include at least two
vegetables in your dinner. Get into the habit of starting your dinner with salad. Eat
fruits for dessert. Always add greens to sandwiches.
Most red fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, which offer protection against
ultraviolet rays and cancer and helps prevent urinary tract infections and diseases
related to the circulatory system. Green vegetables possess excellent antioxidant
properties that protect the eyes by keeping the retina in good condition. The orange and
 yellow group of fruits and vegetables is rich in beta-carotene that improves cell
communication and thereby, helps stop the spread of cancer. The blue and purple group
influences the pineal gland and the nervous system. The white group contains sulphur
compounds that protects the DNA and flavonoids, an antioxidant that protects cell
membranes. Therefore, the more colourful your diet, the better equipped your immune
system would be to cope with diseases.

RED ORANG
E

WHITE GREEN RED

GREEN

1. 2.

WHITE ORANGE

GREEN YELLOW PURPLE RED

3. 4.

1. On the basis of your understanding of the passage, choose the following

questions by selecting the most appropriate option:
1X5=5

(a) Why are sweets and candy bars not healthy?

(i) They are colourful.
(ii) They contain natural colours.
(iii) They contain artificial colours.
(iv) They are bitter in taste.

(b) Nutrition experts strongly recommend that the diet must have……
(i) sugar
(ii) salt
(iii) colours
(iv) water
(c) Most red fruits and vegetables contain…….
(i) sweets
(ii) antioxidants
(iii) fibers
(iv) fat

(d) Acc to the figure given above, the group that is best for antioxidants is:
(i) Group 1
(ii) Group 2
(iii) Group 3
(iv) Group 4
(e) According to the figure above, the best group suiting to prevent cancer and
circulatory diseases is:
(i) Group 1
(ii) Group 2
(iii) Group 3
(iv) Group 4
GRAMMAR- 4 marks

3.A. Read the following and fill in the blanks choosing the most appropriate option:
1x2=2
Detective: What were you doing yesterday between 10-10.30 pm?
Bharat: I was walking my dog in the park.

The detective asked Bharat (a) ____________________________________. Bharat

replied that (b) _______________________________________________.

(a) (i)what was he doing the previous day between 10-10:30 pm.
(ii) what was he doing yesterday between 10-10:30 pm.
(iii) what he was doing the previous day between 10-10:30pm.
(iv)what he was doing the yesterday between 10-10:30pm.

(b) (i) he walked his dog in the park.

(ii) he was walking his dog in the park.
(iii) I was walking my dog in the park.
(iv) he was walking my dog in the park.

B. Fill up the blanks using the most appropriate option given: 1x2=2

(a) The students ________________ the exam hall before the invigilator ___________
there.
(i) vacated, got
(ii) vacated, had got
(iii) had vacated, got
(iv) had vacated, had got
 (b) What you are doing these days is a wild goose chase. You ______________ rather
concentrate on your own project.
(i) must
(ii) should
(iii) ought to
(iv) can

WRITING -3 marks

4 (a). A good short story has to have the following key elements:

1. Tone 2. Characters 3. Conflict

4. plot 5. real life situation 6. dialogues

7. reader’s opinion 8. setting 9. moral

(i) 1,5,6
(ii) 2,3,7
(iii) 4,8,9
(iv) 2,6,7

(b)The correct order in Factual Description of a person is….

(i) intellectual and emotional qualities, physical appearance, abilities, social status
(ii) abilities, intellectual and emotional qualities, physical appearance, social status
(iii) social status,physical appearance, abilities, intellectual and emotional qualities
iv)physical appearance, intellectual and emotional qualities, abilities, social status

(c ) The Factual Description of a person is concluded with….

(i) Thanks
(ii) Writer’s name
(iii) Writer’s signature
(iv) None of the above

LITERATURE- 20 marks

4. Read the following extracts and answer the following questions: 1 X 12 = 12

A. He would cunningly test the temperature with his hand, then gradually step into
the bath, first one foot, then the other(as he had seen me doing), until he was into
the water up to his neck.

(a) Why did he test the temperature cunningly?

(i) He had good knowledge of the temperature.
(ii) He wanted to exhibit his intelligence to others.
(iii) He wanted to have a comfortable bath.
(iv) He would imitate others.

(b) What opinion do you form about the character from the incident described in the above
lines?
(i) cunning
(ii) keen observer
(iii) naughty
(iv) freak

(c) Choose a sentence which is synonymous to ‘upto…..neck’ as given in the passage.

(i) She’s up to her neck in debt.
(ii) I was almost drowned since the water rose up to my neck.
(iii) I’d like to help but I’m up to my neck at the moment.
(iv)Her workload has occupied her up to her neck.

B. Einstein’s new chapter coincided with his rise to world fame. In 1915, he had
published his General Theory of Relativity, which provided a new interpretation
of gravity. An eclipse of the sun in 1919 brought proof that it was accurate.
Einstein had calculated correctly in advance the extent to which the light from
fixed stars to be deflected through the sun’s gravitational field. The newspaper
proclaimed his work as a scientific revolution.

(a) What does the first line of the passage convey about Einstein’s life ?
(i) Einstein’s married life clashed with his work.
(ii) Einstein’s married life and his work could not be managed amicably.
(iii) Einstein’s married life and his work had come together and needed his attention
equally.
(iv) Einstein’s had to work and at the same time had to manage his world fame.

(b) Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
(i) Light from the fixed stars gets deflected through the sun’s gravitational field.
(ii) Einstein had interpreted a new theory about gravity after the solar eclipse.
(iii) Einstein’s study proved as a breakthrough in the world of science.
(iv)Einstein became world famous in the year 1915.

(c) Pick the sentence in which the word ‘deflected’ is NOT used the same way as in the
passage:
(i) The ball deflected off a defender and into the goal.
(ii) Nothing could deflect her from her aim.
 (iii) You need more of an angle when you deflect.
(iv) “Don’t let any of the players on the other team deflect your winning shot.”

C. 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 apologise or quit the school and the island.

(a) The teacher was summoned by Lakshmana Sastry because

(i) he could not teach efficiently.
(ii) he was a strict teacher and punished the students.
(iii) he was playing an instrumental role in dividing the society.
(iv) none of the above

(b) The word that means the same as ‘not being able to bear’ in the passage
means
(i) summoned
(ii) innocent
(iii) bluntly
(iv) intolerance

(c) From the above passage it is concluded that Lakshmana Sastry was ……
(i) an authoritative person.
(ii) partial towards his children.
(iii) an evolved person.
(iv)a strict and harsh person.

D. Now in memory comes my mother,

As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers,
Ere she left them till the dawn
O! I feel her fond look on me.

(a) The mood of the poet in the above lines is____________

(b) sad
(c) nostalgic
(d) elated
(e) pensive

(c) The poetic device used in the third line is_____________

(i) Simile
(ii) Anaphora
(iii) Personification
(iv) Metaphor

(c)The last line in the stanza shows that the poet is_____________

(i) remembering his mother.

(ii) remembering his childhood days.
(iii) still feeling her love being showered upon him.
(iv) missing his mother.

5. Choose the most appropriate option to answer the following questions: 1x8=8

(a) The child wanted to have balloons yet he walked on. Why?
(i) He knew his parents would never buy him balloons.
(ii) His parents would say he was too old to play with the toys.
(iii) His parents had never bought balloons for him.
(iv) both (i) and (ii)

(b) What argument did the king present to punish the merchant?
(i) He had inherited his father’s sins the same way as he inherited his wealth.
(ii) He must sacrifice for his father’s sake.
(iii) He must accomplish his father’s half done works.
(iv) None

(c) The Prince and the swallow were so precious because…….

(i) of their services.

(ii) of their kindness and selflessness.
(iii) they had many possessions.
(iv) of their richness.

(d) According to Tommy, the real book was

(i) interesting
(ii) boring
(iii) waste
(iv) fiction

(e) Bismillah refused to go to the USA because………

(i) the shehnai had no future there.
(ii) he didn’t like the place.
(iii) of his love for Benaras, and river Ganges.
(iv) All of the above.

(f) Why was Kezia afraid of her father?

(i) He used to speak rudely to her and found faults with her
(ii) She thought that he was a hard hearted man.
(iii) Once he beat her for tearing his papers.
(iv) All the above.

(g) Assertion(A): We need not be strong to face the wind since it is always soothing
and calm.
Reason(R) : Strong winds demolish everything that comes in its way.

(i) A is correct and R is correct explanation of A.

(ii) A is incorrect and R is a fact which is independent of A.
(iii) Both ,A and R, are incorrect statements.
 (iv) Both, A and R , are correct independent facts.

(h) Assertion (A): We must be very careful while making decisions in our life.
Reason(R): If we tread a path, we are left with no chance to come back.

(i) Both A and R are correct and complimenting each other.

(ii) Both A and R are incorrect statements.
(iii) Both A and R are correct independent statements.
(iv) A is correct whereas R is incorrect.

MARKING SCHEME

1.A. (a) (iv) what we can learn from the routines of geniuses.

(b)(ii) enjoyed the difficulties of life

(c ) (iii) a creative inspiration

d. (i) A is correct and R is the correct explanation of A

e. (i) life partner
f. (ii) uncluttered
g. (iii) unwind
h. (iv) dwindled
B. (a) (iii) They contain artificial colours.

b(iii) colours

c. (ii)antioxidants

d. (i) Group 1

e.(iv) Group 4

GRAMMAR

2. A. (a) (iii) what he was doing the previous day between 10-10:30 pm.

(b) (ii) he was walking his dog in the park.

B. (a) (iii) had vacated, got

(b) (ii) should

WRITING

3. (a) (iii) 4, 8, 9
 (b) (iv) physical appearance, intellectual and emotional qualities, abilities, social status

(c)(iv)None of the above

LITERATURE

4.A. (a) (iv) He would imitate others.

(b) (ii) keen observer
(c) (ii) I was almost drowned since the water rose up to my neck.

B. (a) (iii) Einstein’s married life and his work had come together and needed….
(b) (ii) Einstein had interpreted a new theory about gravity after the solar eclipse.
(c)(ii) Nothing could deflect her from her aim.

C. (a) (iii) he was playing an instrumental role in dividing the society.

(b)(iv) intolerance
(c)(iii) an evolved person

D. (a) (ii) nostalgic

b(iv) Metaphor

(c)(iii) still feeling her love being showered upon him.

5. (a) (iv) both (i) and (ii)

(b) (i) He had inherited his father’s sins the same way as he inherited his wealth.

(c) (iii) of their kindness and selflessness.

(d) (iii) waste

(e) (iii) of his love for Benaras and river Ganges

(f) (iv) All of the above

(g) (ii) A is incorrect and R is a fact which is independent of A.

(h) (i)Both A and R are correct and complimenting each other.