Grade 7

Semester Paper I (Set A)

Q.1) Read the following article about television, and answer the questions on the opposite page.

Television
Television viewing continues to grow around the world, even though the internet is now widely
used for entertainment. This may be because the number of ways of watching television has
increased. High definition technology, digital television, the use of digital video recorders and now
3D technology all contribute to enjoyable viewing experiences. Research reveals that a typical
person views almost 200 minutes of television a day. The chart below shows what the situation is
in
a variety of regions around the world.

Average Daily TV Viewing

300
250
Time
200
(in
minutes) 150
100
50
0
North Middle Europe Latin Asia- Africa
America East America Pacific
Region

We know that many people watch a lot of television so it is important to ask what effect this may
have on children. Research suggests that having the TV on may have a bad effect on young
children’s language development by reducing the amount of conversation between child and adult.
It was found that when the TV was audible, the number of words spoken by either adult or child
reduced considerably. Surprisingly, even children who watched programmes that were described
as educational and specifically aimed at them learnt fewer new words than children who did not
watch the programmes. Unless further research shows that children under two years old might
benefit from TV, parents should encourage language activities through imaginative play. While
there
is some evidence that a little TV viewing may be beneficial for the over twos, the evidence for those
younger is less certain. It is argued that first words are learnt far more effectively from real people
than from voices on the television. In the USA there is a formal recommendation that children
under
two years old should not be exposed to TV or computer screens, and a growing body of evidence
is now causing governments and health authorities around the world to consider issuing similar
guidelines. However, parents could choose to limit viewing to an hour a day for their three- to five-
year-olds.
Childhood is a critical period for brain development and the formation of behaviour patterns.
Parents have a responsibility to ensure that the right conditions exist for these developments. It
is very helpful if parents can teach their children how to use their leisure time more effectively.
They can introduce their children to sports, music or other hobbies. An expert in child behaviour
said, “Children can easily be influenced by the programmes they watch and this can result in a
wide variety of psychological problems. Often parents do not know what their children are watching
on television, and it may be that they are being exposed to programmes which are unsuitable.”
Research also shows that television viewing leads to a decrease in physical activity and an
increase
in the consumption of sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks. In particular, children should not have
televisions in their bedrooms as this encourages them to be inactive.
Researchers had expected that by the age of seven the influence of early television viewing on
children would have disappeared. However, they were shocked to find that the early experience
of television viewing continued to have long-term harmful effects on school performance and on
health.
a) Explain how new technologies have affected television viewings around the world. (3
lines) [1]

b) According to the chart, in which two regions do people watch between 200 and
250 minutes of television a day? (2 lines) [1]

c) How does watching television affect children’s language development? (3 lines) [1]

d) What unexpected effect did educational programmes have on young

children’s development? (3 lines) [1]

e) State the guidelines that the governments of some countries are considering issuing. (3
lines) [2]

f) Why is it important for parents to know which television programmes their children are
watching? (3 lines) [1]

g) Give two details highlighting the reason why television viewing is bad for physical health.
(5 lines) [2]

h) Identify what the researchers found particularly shocking as a result of their work. (3
lines) [1]

i) Frame sentences from the words given below:- (1 line after each sentence) [4]
a. Language
b. Evidence
c. Audible
d. Hobbies

j) Change the sentence to Indirect Speech. (1 line after sentence) [1]

An expert in child behaviour said, “Children can easily be influenced by the
programmes.”

[Total: 15]
Q.2) Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
The leaves were all burned up. Darkness covered the orchard again. Under the ashes a few embers
smouldered, and when a gust of wind blew over them they stirred up briefly, then flickered out again.
Halku sat by the warm ashes, humming a tune. The fire had warmed him though, but as the cold began
to spread he felt drowsy.
Jabra gave a loud bark and ran towards the field. Halku realized that this meant a pack of wild animals
had probably broken into the field. They might be bluebuck. They must be grazing; he began to hear
the sound of nibbling.
He thought, ‘No, with Jabra around no animal can get into the field; he‘d rip it to shreds. I must have
been mistaken. Now there’s no sound at all.’
He shouted, ‘Jabra! Jabra!’
Jabra went on barking and did not come to him.
Then again there was the sound of munching and crunching in the field. He could not have been
mistaken this time. It really hurt to think of getting up from where he was. It was so comfortable there it
seemed intolerable to go to the field in this cold and chase after animals. He didn’t stir.
He shouted, ‘Hillo! Hillo! Hillo!’
Jabra started barking again. There were animals eating his field just when the crop was ready. What a
fine crop it was! And these cursed animals were destroying it. With a firm resolve he got up and took a
few steps. But suddenly a gust of wind pierced him with a sting like a scorpion’s such that he went back
and sat again by the extinguished fire and stirred up the ashes to warm his chilled body.
Halku went on sitting peacefully near the warm ashes. His drowsiness held him motionless as though
with ropes. Wrapped in his shawl he fell asleep on the warmed ground near the ashes.
When he woke in the morning the sun was high and Munni was saying, ‘Do you think you’re going to
sleep all day? You came out here and had a fine time while the whole field was being flattened!’
Halku got up and said, ‘then you’ve just come from the field?’
“Yes, the whole field’s ruined. And you could sleep like that! Why did you bother to put up shelter
anyway?’
Halku sought an excuse. ‘I nearly died and just managed to get through the night, and you worry about
your crop.’
Then the two of them walked to the edge of their land. He looked: the whole field had been trampled.
Munni’s face was shadowed with grief but Halku was content.
Munni said, ‘Now you’ll have to hire yourself out to earn some money to pay off the rent and taxes.’
With a contented smile Halku said,’ But I won’t have to sleep nights out here in the cold.’
Answer the questions given below: - (4 lines after each question)

1. Narrate two instances from the text that tell you that Halku was reluctant to get up from
near the fire and go to his field. (2)
2. Why was Halku’s face full of contentment and Munni full of grief? (2)
3. How do you think Munni reacted to Halku’s last remark? (2)
4. How did Halku know that there were some wild animals in his field? How did he react?(2)
5. Imagine that you were Halku and you had to spend a cold January night guarding the
fields. What would you do in such a situation to protect your fields? (3)
6. Frame sentences from the idioms given below:- (1 line after each word) (5)
 Got ahead- Succeeded/made progress
 Got away- escaped
 Got over- managed/came out of
 Got into- became involved in
 Got through- passed
7. Give meanings of the following words:- (1 line after each word) (4)
1. Coax
2. Arrears
3. Tenant
4. Immense
 Paper II

A. Each season of the year is beautiful in some way. Think of which season is your favourite:
winter, summer, spring or fall. Think of what your town looks like during that season. What
does it feel like? Is there a smell or taste to it? Now write a Descriptive Essay describing an
outdoor scene during your favourite season of the year. [20] (20 Lines)

B. Much has been written about the negative effects of television on young people. Should
television viewing be monitored by parents?
 Reason –why it should be monitored or why it shouldn’t?
 Advantages and disadvantages
 Impact on children [15] (20 Lines)

C. Do As Directed (2 lines after each sentence) [10]

1. I went to see them but they (leave) the country. (Rewrite using the Past Perfect tense of the
verb in the bracket.)
2. please sir i pleaded pardon us this time (Punctuate the sentence.)
3. I’ve chased the shouting wind along. (Name and explain the figure of Speech.)
4. Jane said, “When will I see you next?” (Change to Indirect Speech.)
5. Raj sent me a bouquet of flowers. (State the kind of sentence.)
6. The Prime Minister made an interesting speech. (Pick out the verb and state it’s tense.)
7. He was extremely happy to see his uncle. (Identify the Adverb and state its kind.)
8. We ________ to help the poor. (Fill in the blank with an Auxiliary.)
9. After wearing his clothes, he set out to work. (Pick out the Finite verb.)
10. At the end of the journey, we were tired. (Identify whether the underlined group of words is
Clause, Phrase or a Sentence.)
Answer Key:- Paper I
Television
Q.1) (a) viewing continues to grow even though internet widely used / number of ways of watching TV
has increased / contribute to enjoyable viewing experiences [1]
(b) Europe and Africa [1]
(c) reduces the amount of conversation / number of words spoken reduced [1]
(d) Learnt fewer (new) words [1]
(e) Children under two should not be exposed to TV or computer (screens) (2 marks) / children under
two should not be exposed to TV (1 mark) / should not be exposed to TV or computer (screens) (0
marks) [2]
(f) May be exposed to unsuitable programmes / might be unsuitable / can result in psychological
problems / can be influenced (by what they watch) [1]
(g) Decrease in physical activity / encourages them to be inactive [1] / increase in (the consumption of)
sugary drinks and snacks [1]
1 MARK FOR EACH DETAIL
(h) Early experience of TV viewing continued to have harmful effects / early experience of TV viewing
had long–term harmful effects
(i) Answers can vary
(j) An expert in child behaviour said that children could easily be influenced by the programmes.

Q.2) 1) The two sentences that tell us are:- His drowsiness held him motionless as though with ropes
and even with Jabra’s barking he refused to get up.
2) Halku was happy because he dint have to spend another night in the fields while Munni was sad that
their entire fields were destroyed.
3) Munni might have felt agitated or angry over Halku’s lack of remorse over the fields getting
destroyed.
4) Jabra started barking continuously. Halku felt that there were some wild animals in his field but he
was feeling too sleepy and cold to actually get up and remove the wild animals from his fields.
5) Answers can vary
6) Answers can vary
7) Meanings:-
1. persuade
2. debts still to be paid
3. one who occupies land under landlord
4. huge, great
Paper II

Q.1) ESSAY
- The situation or incident that you would have seen or felt or came across during you
favourite season.
- Who were the people involved in it and part of the scene.
- How best can you describe nature as a part of the scene.
- The different sounds, fragrances or sensory feelings that you encountered.
- A particular act that you felt touched you or taught you something for life during your
encounter with a person or situation.

Q.2) Essay

- Your opinion on whether television viewing must be monitored by parents or not.

- State why you are convinced that parents should do so or not do so.
- List down examples of the hazards faced when excessive television is viewed when
parents do not monitor their children closely and if they do as well.
- Give situations that have caused problem in families where there is lack of time constraints
and family meetings due to excessive television viewing
- If in case television viewing is monitored then the positives of spending quality family time
can be cited.
- Provide a contradictory view of a sentence of two convincing you audience why you believe
in the opinion that you have written about.
- End you essay with a suitable conclusion.

Q.3) Grammar

1. Had left.
2. “Please Sir,” I pleaded. “Pardon us this time.”
3. Personification: Winds are given human qualities of shouting.
4. Jane asked when she would see him/her next.
5. Declarative.
6. Made – Simple Past tense.
7. Extremely – Adjective of degree
8. Ought
9. Set
10. phrase