UNIT-4

STD - X
Inclusions: Prose, Poem, Speech Time: 1 hr: 45 mins
Date- 05th February 2024 Marks: 65
(ACTIVITY SHEET)
SECTION I: Language Study
Q1. (A1) Do as directed [4 Marks]
1) Pick out the Non-finite Verb from the givens sentence. He participated in the singing competition.
(1)
2) Identify the kind of sentence. Please pay attention to the instructions. (1)
3) Spot the error in the following sentence and rewrite it. The stories of Akbar and Birbal is witty
and amusing. (1)
4) Arrange the following words in alphabetical order. never, verse, nerve, naive. (1)
(A2) Do as directed [4 Marks]
1) Pick out the modal auxiliary and state its function: May you find everything that your heart
desires. (2)
2) Change into Indirect Speech: I told the shopkeeper, “Give me the best book available.” (2)
Q1. (B) Do as directed (any – 1) [2 Marks]
1) Analyze the clauses: Both of them were surprised because the results were revolutionary. (2)

SECTION II: Textual Passages

(Reading skills, vocabulary and grammar)
Q2 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities: [10 marks]
A1. State whether true or false, correct the false ones: (2)
1. Della’s hair is compared to a cascade.
2. Della was offered 30 dollars for her hair.
3. Della was super excited with the thought of getting money by selling her hair.
4. Jim had a special possession which he got for himself.

Now, there were two possessions of James Dillingham Young in which they both took a mighty pride. One
was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair. Had the
queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some
day to dry just to depreciate her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all
his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to
see him pluck at his beard from envy. So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like
a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then
she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two
splashed on the worn red carpet.
On went her old brown jacket; on went for old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant
sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.
Where she stopped the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up Della ran, and
collected herself, panting. Madame, large too white, chilly, hardly looked the “Sofronie.”
“Will you buy my hair?” asked Della. “I buy hair,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practical hand.
“Give it to me quick,” said Della. Oh, and the next 2 hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed
metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.
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A2. Answer the following questions in one sentence each: (2)
a) Why would King Solomon feel jealous of Jim?
b) Why was Della planning to sell her hair?

A3. Pick out words from the passage which mean the following: (1)
a) A rapid movement
b) To hesitate
c) To lessen the value
d) Search thoroughly

A4. Do as Directed: (2)

1. Doctors had given him two and half years to live. (Rewrite the sentence beginning with –
“Reaching……”)
2. She stood still while tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet. (Make it a Negative sentence)

A5. Personal Response: (2)

1. What is the most unforgettable & priceless gift that you have received? Have you gifted someone a
special, priceless gift?

Q2 (B) Read the following passage and do the activities: [10 marks]
I caught sight of her at the play and in answer to her call. I went over during the interval and sat down
beside her. It was long since I had last seen her and, if someone had not mentioned her name, I hardly think
I would have recognized her. She addressed me brightly.
"Well, it's many years since we first met. How time does fly! We're none of us getting any younger. Do you
remember the first time I saw you? You asked me to luncheon."
Did I remember?
It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny apartment and I was earning barely enough
money. She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. I answered, thanking her, and presently,
I received from her another letter saying she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with
me. But her time was limited and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday and would
I give her a little luncheon at Foyot's afterwards? Foyot's is a restaurant and it was so far beyond my means
that I had never even thought of going there. I had eighty francs (gold francs) to last me the rest of the
month and a modest luncheon should not cost more than fifteen. If I cut out coffee for the next two weeks,
I could manage well enough.
I answered that I would meet my friend at Foyot's on Thursday at half-past twelve. She was. in appearance,
imposing rather than attractive and she gave me the impression of having more teeth, white and large and
even, than were necessary for any practical purpose. She was talkative, but since she seemed to want to talk
about me, I was prepared to be an attentive listener. I was startled when the menu was brought, for the
prices were a great deal higher than I had thought. But she reassured me. "I never eat anything for luncheon,"
she said. "Oh, don't say that!" I answered generously. "I never eat more than one thing. I think people eat
for too much nowadays. A little fish, perhaps. I wonder if they have any salmon." Well, it was early in the
year for salmon and it was not on the menu, but I asked the waiter if there was any. Yes, a beautiful salmon
had just come in it was the first they had had. I ordered it for my guest. The waiter asked her if she would
have something while it was being cooked. "No," she answered, "I never eat more than one thing. Unless
you had a little caviar. I never mind caviar. "I knew I could not afford caviar, but I could not very well tell
her that. For myself, I chose the cheapest dish on the menu and that was a mutton chop. I think you're
unwise to eat meat." she said. "I don't believe in overloading my stomach."

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B1. State whether the true or false. (2)
1. Caviar was the cheapest dish on the menu.
2. The writer met his friend at the play after twenty years.
3. The writer was living in Paris twenty years ago.
4. The writer’s friend was an attentive listener.

B2. Complete the following sentences with the help of the given passage. (2)
1. The writer’s friend ordered ____________ which was not on the menu.
2. The writer met his friend in ____________ after many years.
3. The writer chose ____________ because it was the cheapest dish on the menu.
4. The writer had never thought of going to ____________ because it was not affordable for him.

B3. Write your own sentences by using the following phrases. (catch sight of, beyond one’s means) (2)

B4. Do as directed: (2)

1. I knew, I could not afford caviar. (Make it affirmative)
2. She was talkative. (Make it negative without changing its meaning)

B5. If someone is hosting you at a restaurant, would you choose the most expensive dish on the menu? (2)

SECTION III: Poetry

Q3 (A) Read the following extract and do the activities: [5 marks]
A1. Complete the web: (2)

Things that
cause suffering
and pain

A2. List down two impacts of beautiful things on us: (2)

1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
A3. Write down the Rhyme- scheme of the first four lines. (1)

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 A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness, but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er – darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake.
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk – rose blooms:

Q3 (B) Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a
paragraph format: [10 marks]
I wrote some line once on a time
In wondrous merry mood,
And thought, as usual, men would say
They were exceeding good.
They were so queer, so very queer,
I laughed as I would die;
Albeit, in the general way,
A sober man am I.
I called my servant, and he came;
How kind it was of him
To mind a slender man like me,
He of the mighty limb.
“These to the printer,” I exclaimed,
And, in my humorous way,
I added (as a trifling jest,)
“There’ll be the devil to pay.
He took the paper, and I watched,
And saw him peep within
At the first line he read, his face
Was all upon the grin
He read the next; the grin grew broad
And shot from ear to ear;
He read the third; a chuckling noise
I now began to hear.

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 The fourth; he broke into a roar,
The fifth; his waistband split;
The sixth; he burst five buttons off,
And tumbled in a fit.
Ten days and nights, with sleepless eye,
I watched that wrenched man,
And since, I never dare to write
As funny as I can.

You can use the following points while appreciating the given poem:
• Title of the poem
• Poet of the poem
• Rhyme scheme
• Figures of speech
• Central Idea / Theme
• Favourite line
• Special features – Type of the poem, language, tone, implied meaning etc.
• Why I like the poem.

SECTION IV: Non-Textual Passages

(Reading skills, vocabulary, grammar and summary)
Q4 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities: [10 marks]

Odysseus was an intelligent and brave soldier. He fought wars for his king, but disliked how wars
often kept him away from his family. After spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus
decided he deserved a vacation, and he commanded his men to sail his ship back home. Odysseus was
brave, but not lucky. His ship made a stop for supplies on an island ruled by hideous monsters called
Cyclopes. They had only one eye and liked to eat humans for breakfast. After a brief struggle, Odysseus
and all his men were captured by a particularly large and ferocious Cyclopes. The Cyclops threw the men
into his cave and warned them that at dawn he would eat two of them. The men were scared, but Odysseus
attempted to remain calm. He desperately wanted to return home, and he knew that even if he and his men
escaped, their ship would be pursued by a scary herd of one-eyed monsters. When he came to eat two of
the men, he asked Odysseus what his name was. He replied that his name was Nobody. While the monster
was distracted, the others took a giant stick and blinded him. The Cyclops screamed out in pain as the men
ran out of the cave and out of the clutches of their captor. Once he had taken the stick out of his eye, he
hurried to gather up the rest of his Cyclops brothers. When the other monsters asked who had injured hi,
the Cyclops complained that Nobody did. Nobody has struck him in the eye, Nobody had escaped! The
poor Cyclops could not figure out why none of the other Cyclopes would help him. Odysseus and his men
escaped, and they were soon happily reunited with their families.

A2. Name the following: (2)

1. One-eyed monsters
2. The name with which Odysseus introduced himself to the Cyclops.

A3. List down the events that took place after Odysseus told the 2 Cyclops his name. (2)

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A4. Do as directed: (2)
1. He commanded his men to sail his ship back home. (Change the voice)
2. The Cyclops threw the men into his cave and warned them. (Add a question tag)

A5. Personal Response. (2)

Imagine yourself in place of Odysseus in front of the Cyclops. Describe your feelings.

Q4 (B) Write a summary of the passage given in Q 4 (A) above in about 100 words. Suggest a suitable
title. (5)
What writers struggle to express through numerous newspaper columns, the cartoon manages
in a pointed one liner. Little wonder then, that the first thing most of us like to see when we pick up a
newspaper is the cartoon. Simple though it may seem, making a cartoon is an art that requires a
combination of hard work, training and a good sense of humour. Some successful cartoonists say that
the cartoons that make us laugh the most are in fact the cartoons that are hardest to make. Even
celebrated cartoonists like R. K. Laxman admit that making a cartoon is not a piece of cake. Laxman
says he has to wait for over six hours, which includes spending a lot of time scanning newspapers and
television channels before any idea strikes him.
So how does one become a cartoonist? Which of us has the talent to make it? How can we
master the rib-tickling strokes and the witty one-liners? How can we make people smile or laugh? There
are few colleges or schools for cartoonists. Most cartoonists come from art colleges, while some learn
the craft on their own. Most established cartoonists are of the view that no institute can teach you to
make a cartoon. "You can pick up the craft, you may learn to sketch and draw in institutes, but no one
can teach anyone how to make a good cartoon," says Uday Shanker, a cartoonist with Navbharat Times.
While basics, like drawing and sketching can be learnt in an art college, and are important skills,
these alone, do not make a good cartoonist. Because it's a question of one's creativity and sense of
humour; two qualities; one simply may not have. The advice established cartoonists give is that just
because you can sketch, don't take it for granted that you will become a cartoonist.

Q5 (A) Speech: - (5)

Your school is celebrating World Technology Day. Prepare a
Speech highlighting the misuse of internet.

OR
‘Live and Let live!’ Draft a short speech on the above topic,
which you could give at your school assembly.