English Language and Literature Class 10 Stage III Excellence Level 1

Sample Question Paper 8

(Detailed Answers)

Literature in English
ICSE Class 10th
1. (i) (b) He blames them for knowing about Jessica’s flight.
(ii) (b) Shylock is entitled only to flesh and not blood.
(iii) (d) Shylock (iv) (b) He broke his promise
(v) (d) Shylock converts to christainity (vi) (b) They deserve cruelties
(vii) (c) A carefully concealed secret (viii) (a) hovel
(ix) (d) Both (b) and (c) (x) (b) Heavy pieces of wood
(xi) (c) Her parents were taking her back to Earth next year
(xii) (d) 1 and 4
(xiii) (a) May more people be like Abou Ben Adhem who are calm and who have exceeding peace of mind.
(xiv) (b) The reminiscence of happy moments of being in contact with nature
(xv) (d) Both (b) and (c)
(xvi) (b) The free bird
2. (i) According to the bond, Portia asks Shylock to cut the pound of flesh from Antonio’s chest. However, she asks him to do
so without shedding even a single drop of blood, as it is not mentioned in the bond.
(ii) Both Portia and Nerissa demand their wedding rings as gifts from Bassanio and Gratiano respectively. Both females
remain unrecognised as they are in their male disguises. They demand the rings only to have fun later.
(iii) Shylock, for whom money is everything is rendered helpless by Portia. After the decision of the Duke, Shylock reveals
his agonised and helpless state. He says that by taking away his property, they are taking away his livelihood, and the
means through which he sustains his life.
(iv) Yes, Shylock accepts the conditions imposed on him. He leaves the court defeated and fully dejected as all his wealth
and property had been taken away from him rendering him helpless. He told the court that he was not feeling well so he
should be allowed to leave.
(v) Portia points out that Shylock cannot have his original sum as he has refused it publicly in the court. She further claims
that, according to the law, for plotting against the life of a citizen of Venice one half of Shylock’s property will go to
Antonio and the other half to the state. In addition, Shylock’s own life is at the mercy of the Duke. All this together makes
Shylock so helpless that he returns/leaves the court dejected.
3. (i) The above words are spoken by Gratiano.
He is saying these words to Bassanio.
‘Portia’ is referred to as the ‘mistress’ in the above extract.
(ii) In the given lines, Gratiano tells Bassanio that his fortune stood on the chests too because if Nerissa’s promise lasts,
he would have her love on the condition that Bassanio was lucky enough to get her mistress (Portia).
(iii) The speaker, Gratiano, has got Nerissa as his wife. He got her as his wife because of Bassanio. Bassanio had choosen
the correct casket allowing him to marry Portia. Bassanio-Portia’s union allowed Gratiano to marry Nerissa.
(iv) The fortune of the speaker and the person addressed depended on the casket because only the person who chooses
the right casket could marry Portia. Thus, if Bassanio chooses the right casket, he can marry Portia and Gratiano can
marry Nerissa.
2 Stage III Excellence Level English Language and Literature Class 10

(v) While Bassanio was making use of wisdom to choose the right casket, especially after men who went before him had
failed disastrously, Gratiano has been immersed in wooing the maid, Nerissa. He had to try very hard with his oaths of
love to win Nerissa’s heart and hand. At the end of it all, she promised him that if Bassanio wins the lottery of the casket
and Portia’s hand, she will marry him.
Thus, with Bassanio’s victory of choosing the right casket, Gratiano was able to benefit as he got a wife of his choice.
After Bassanio’s success, Gratiano congratulates him and discloses that he wishes to marry Nerissa. Portia is
questioning Nerissa to confirm this and ask if she wishes the same.
4. (i) The sick brat referred to here is Maggie who is bed-stricken because of her spinal injury.
Joe Thompson had carried her to his home as her mother had passed away and nobody would take care of her.
(ii) Mr. Thompson knew that his wife would be angry at him for bringing the little girl home. But he couldn’t leave Maggie
alone. He could already feel love and care for the diseased girl. Just as he had expected, Mrs. Thompson did not like
the fact that Mr. Thompson had brought the girl to his home.
(iii) Joe Thompson told his wife that he thinks women’s heart were sometimes very hard. He justifies it by pointing out that
he decided to bring Maggie home because no one wanted to take care of the little girl. He had expected his wife to treat
Maggie with kindness but she was not at all compassionate.
(iv) Joe Thompson, very well aware of his wife’s nature, stayed out of his wife’s way. He remained silent and did not argue
with her. However, on this occasion, he was firm and resolute with his stance to keep Maggie in their house which
appealed to his wife.
(v) Mrs. Thompson was angry and astonished when she saw that Mr. Thompson has bought along sick Maggie with him.
Her face was red with anger. However, after hearing Joe Thompson’s statement, she is quick to retort. We get to know
from Joe that even though she was angry, she was impressed by Joe’s resolute bearing and allows Maggie to stay in a
little chamber. She eventually softens up to the sick child and shows love and care for her.
5. (i) ‘We’ in the extract refers to Jesse Owens and Luz Long.
The conversation between them took place in the city of Berlin where they had come to participate in the Olympics.
(ii) ‘I’ (Jesse Owens) was going to participate in the long jump event in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was nervous and
angry at that time.
(iiii) The phrase ‘eating me’ signifies the fact that Jesse Owens was preoccupied with a thought that he was distracting him.
As a result, he made a mistake and had a foul in the long jump trials at the Olympics.
(iv) Luz Long understood that something was troubling Jesse. Even though Jesse did not mention it, Luz tried to reassure
him that he was doing well and would manage to qualify the trials if he played with a little precision. He explained the
technical point of view to Owens.
(v) In the conversation, he (Luz Long) advised Jesse Owens on how to avoid making a foul in the long jump event. Jesse
Owens took note of his genuine advise and managed to qualify for the final and won a gold medal in the long jump
event. All this shows that Luz Long was a true sportsman and an amazing human being. He helped Jesse Owens (his
rival) to qualify in the long jump event that made him win the gold medal.
6. (i) The patriot is the speaker of the above lines. At present, he is being led to the gallows to be executed in public for his
misdeeds.
(ii) According to the narrator of the poem, the people have gathered at the scaffold where the patriot was to be hanged.
The people of his city left their houses to reach the Shambles Gate to view the execution of the patriot.
(iii) The phrase ‘for they fling, whoever has a mind’. means that the people who are throwing stones at the patriot are the
ones who have an active mind. The patriot does not seem to be angry with these people as he thinks that they have
misunderstood him.
(iv) The crowd is fickle- minded and lives for the moment. The past good deeds of the hero have been forgotten and now
they respond with hatred to the very person they idolised about a year ago.
(v) About a year back, when the patriot was walking down the streets, the crowd was cheering him and scattering roses
mixed with myrtle on his path. He was a hero respected and loved by his people. However, now all the adoration has
turned to hate. Now, he had been tied and convicted to be led to his death. They are hurling stones at him and nobody
is cheering for him. In fact, they are all waiting near the scaffold to get the best view of the execution.
 English Language and Literature Class 10 Stage III Excellence Level 3

7. (i) The daffodils outdid the waves in the lake. The daffodils seemed to be dancing like human beings expressing their joy
and energy when the breeze blew over them. Both the flowers and waves seem to be in competition to show their
feelings and expressions. The daffodils danced and fluttered and tossed their heads while the waves just rippled and
sparkled.
(ii) The poet is referring to the jocund company of the host of golden daffodils dancing in joy by the side of the lake under
the trees. Along with them, the waves in the lake too were dancing by the side of the daffodils. They all were jocund
because they danced merrily without a pause.
(iii) The wealth which is referred to here by the poet means wealth of joy and happiness; which actually comes from happy
and fond memories of a host of golden daffodils seen by the poet at the side of the lake beneath the trees. The happy
and beautiful scene made the poet happy. But this joy was not momentary; it is a forever thing.
(iv) The poet is in a happy mood. The line ‘‘a poet could not but be a gay, in such a jocund company’’ tells us that he was
very happy. The daffodils and the waves were dancing with joy and their happiness was so infectious and powerful that
it made him happy too.
(v) In the poem Daffodils, Wordsworth has depicted a host of beautiful golden daffodil flowers that he had come across in
the valley of Scotland. The beauty of those flowers had left an everlasting impression upon his mind. He recollected the
memory of those daffodils which used to fill his heart with pleasure. That is why the poet wrote this poem. This poem
was not an intentional and artificial attempt of the poet but a spontaneous expression of his feelings, the joy the flowers
had brought to his life. This originates from the ‘emotion recollected in tranquility’. Thus, the poem Daffodils holds true
to his own statement about what poetry should be.